Far Away
by hardygirl9
Summary: Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, S.O.B cop. His care-free attitude and his ‘super-cop’ ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC
1. The Big Apple

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

**Chapter 1**

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_March 23__rd__, 1999_ -

I never thought I would leave my hometown of Middleton, Massachusetts to live in New York City; the largest city in the country. For what reason, you ask? To fulfill my dream of becoming a Paramedic. Okay – that's a lie… sort-of. In reality, I really am already a Paramedic.

My life here Middleton is amazing. My family is here, my friends are here, and of course my best friends, Jeff and Ashley are here. I also have my job, which I've worked my whole life for. All of this, and yet still… I feel trapped.

Most of my life I had spent living with just my Mom. You see, my Dad bailed on us when I was just three years old. I honestly don't even remember him, except from a few wrinkled up pictures. But that's okay; Mom and I did just fine on our own. Through high school, I had a few boyfriends… none of them really lasted though. Most of them were pigs, just wanting things that I didn't necessarily want to give them. There was only one time in my life when I had suffered a serious heart break. You see, I was just sixteen years old, and I had found out from a friend, who heard from a friend, who was friends with a girl that claimed to be sleeping with him. Confusing, eh? Ha, yeah. That's high school for ya…

Since high school graduation, and now, I've had one boyfriend. That one didn't really work out too well either…considering I found him sleeping with my best friend, Jamie. Although you could safely say that she _was _my best friend. Since then, I've been single, and have come to realize that the only person I can trust in my life is my self, and no one else.

So is this why I feel trapped? Well, no. Not the main reason anyway. My city's population is the small number of just 7,744 people, which makes my job… very, very slow. My EMS partner and I get about one to three calls a day (95% of the time it is an elderly person, who is having difficulty breathing and such). In result, we spend most of the work day watching TV, or sleeping until we eventually get a call to help someone in need of medical treatment.

"Alright, well why move to New York City?" you ask? Well, in all honesty, even though it is very relaxing at times to be able to sit back and relax all day – that's not me. I'm the kind of girl who likes to get up and go – and keep on going until it's time to go home. Plus – I figured getting a job down in New York would be relatively easy. My grandmother works at the 55th Police Prescient as a desk clerk, you know, answering the phones and stuff... Gran says that the cops and firefighters/EMS have a pretty good relationship. The firehouse is just across the street from the police station as a matter of fact. She has lived in New York City since she was 20 years old. She lived here in Middleton with her parents before then as a Sherriff for the county. She insists that the Big Apple has _a lot _more action than our silly little town does. So – that's why I'm going. Being 20 years old myself, not married, no kids, no fiancé or boyfriend to keep me here, what the heck, right? Why not take that leap of faith, and try out something new and exciting?

I sighed as I gripped the steering wheel of my '97 Ford F-250 even tighter, as I nervously crossed the border line of Jersey City into my new home-town… New York City. I had driven down to Jersey to see my Uncle for a few hours before going to the Big Apple. I nervously traveled through the city traffic, which I certainly was not used to, all the way until 148th street – where my new home was. Well, technically it was an apartment, but you get the point.

The bed of my truck had five boxes, and a couple of duffle bags full of clothes. The boxes were stuffed full of pictures, and all of my medical books. I pulled into an empty parking spot against the curb, and shifted the gear into park. I took a step out and looked up at the tall buildings surrounding me… I was definitely not in Middleton anymore.


	2. Crooked Smile

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

**Chapter 2**

I made my way up to the second floor of the apartment complex, and counted in my head wondering down the long hallway looking for my door. _#13, 15, 17, ah-ha! 19. _I put the small boxes I had down on the floor as I fiddled the key trying to get it in the knob. Finally I got the door open, and let out a huge sigh of relief when I saw that my couches, table, and bed were already here. The moving company had told me that it might not be until tomorrow. So up until now, I hadn't known if I was going to be sleeping on the cold floor all night or not.

I spent the next hour or so unloading my truck, taking my boxes and things up to my apartment. It was certainly too quiet for my liking, and I wasn't really in the mood to try and find all the cords to hook up my TV. I decided the best thing to do was to drive around, and try and get used to the big city. I drove past Arthur St., and King BLVD, realizing that was the street where Gran worked. I pulled around back into a 'visitors' spot at the Police station, then debated or not if I wanted to go see Gran first, or go to the firehouse. I decided I should go to the firehouse first, and talk to the head paramedic.

I walked across the street, nervously, and up to the group of four men in dark blue uniforms with 'FDNY' sewn into the shirts.

"Excuse me?" I asked, as they all turned around. "Hi, sorry to bother you, but I'm Danielle Nash – I'm looking for Monte Parker? We spoke on the phone a few days ago…" I asked as politely as possible – knowing that these men I will most likely be working with in the near future.

"Oh, yeah. Hey Danielle, Doc mentioned a new paramedic was coming in today. I'm Jimmy Doherty." He smiled, dimples and all, and shook my hand. The other guys started pushing him and giggling behind him.

"Call me Dani." I smiled, as I let go of his firm grasp around my hand.

"Hi Dani! I'm Joe Lombardo." One of the other men came up, pushing Jimmy out of the way, and shook my hand. He was followed by D.K, and then finally a woman came down the steps.

"Hey, hey, hey, guys leave her alone." She said, shoving past the three men. "Hi, you must be Danielle. I'm Kim Zambrano."

"Hi. Call me Dani." I smiled. "You're a paramedic right? I think I've heard about you…" I smiled, shaking her hand.

"Yep, that's me. This is going to be so awesome having another girl to work with!" She smiled. "So you're here to see Doc right?" She asked.

"Doc is Monte, right?" I giggled. "I'm a bit confused about that…"

"Yeah," She laughed too. "No one here really calls him Monte. He's just…Doc to us." She smiled. "Come on, I'll take you to him." She said, turning around and heading back up the stairs. I quickly followed her, waving to the guys.

"Hey Doc, you're new rookie is here to talk to you." Kim said, smiling towards me.

"Oh thanks, Kim." Doc said, standing up from the table he was reading at, and approached me and shook my hand. "Hey Dani, nice to meet you. Glad to see you made it safe and sound. Long trip?" He asked me.

"Actually it wasn't that bad. I'm just glad I'm here." I smiled.

He returned the smile, and walked back over to the table and picked up some papers. "Here you go; I was just getting them out for you when you got here. Just go through them and sign where implied, and then we'll discuss when you will start."

"Alright, thank you! Is it okay if I fill them out here?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, sure. You can sit here." He motioned for me to sit at the table. "Take your time, and make yourself at home. I'm just going to head downstairs real quick. I'll be right back." He said, turning away. I nodded, and went over the papers.

As I was finishing up, another two men approached me. "So….when do you start?" One of the men asked. The other guy, obviously the mature one, elbowed him in the stomach. "Sorry about him, hi, I'm Bobby Caffey. You're Dani, right? Kim told us you were here…" He smiled, as he shook my hand. The other man, glaring towards Bobby, shook his head.

"Hi Bobby, nice to meet you." I smiled back. "As for you're question," I said, looking towards the other man who hadn't yet introduced himself. "I'm pretty sure I'm starting tomorrow…but nothings for sure yet. Doc said we were going to talk about that in a minute."

"Oh sweet, so that means you're my new partner right?" He smiled, and raised his eyebrows in a very cocky way. I raised one eyebrow and looked towards Bobby.

"Carlos, will it kill you to be a gentleman for once?" Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Me? What are you talking about? I'm always a gentleman!" The man, obviously named Carlos, replied back to him. Bobby rolled his eyes one more time, and walked away.

"Hi, Dani, I'm Carlos Nieto. Very nice to meet you." He took my hand, and kissed it. I quickly pulled away, and shook my head. I noticed a few of the guys that where outside coming up the stairs now.

"So….come here often?" He smiled, nodding his head. What kind of cheesy pick up line was that?

I raised an eyebrow. "Obviously not….?" I asked, confused. "Although I'm sure I will be more now…" I knew he was hitting on me, but that didn't mean I couldn't act clueless.

Carlos grinned, and took a step closer to me. "You know, if you're with me, I could make you very…very happy." He said quietly, but not quiet enough for everyone else to hear. All the guys, and Kim, giggled a little bit.

I smiled, and stepped back. "Really? You can make me happy? Does that mean you are transferring to a different station?" Just as I got the words out, the room was howling with laughter. Carlos turned around, and let out a very sarcastic laugh. Annoyed, he walked up the stairs.

As he walked, Jimmy said "Very smooth, Carlos!" as the rest of the guys laughed. I shook my head, and finished signing the rest of the papers just as Doc came up.

"You all finished, Dani?" He asked.

"Yep!" I said, handing him the papers. He glanced over them, making sure they were right and nodded. "Alright, everything looks good. You can start tomorrow, right?" I nodded, and he smiled. "Great. I'll see you at 3pm." He said. I thanked him, and waved bye to everyone and made my way out.

I smiled to myself as I walked across the street, thinking of my new co-workers. Things seem much more up-beat here, which made me excited.

I made my way into the Police station, and when I opened the doors, I was stunned. "Wow…" I murmured to myself. This place was 10 times busier than the Police station in Middleton. I found myself staring blankly at all the awards covering the walls, being amazed by all the 'missing persons', 'be aware' and 'have you seen …" signs stapled to just about everything but the floor.

"Excuse me, miss?" A young lady, I assumed about my age, asked me.

"Hmm?" I replied, still mesmerized by how many people were around me

"May I help you with something?" The woman asked.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry. I'm looking for Ruby Nash… she is my Grandmother. Is she working today?" I asked politely. Before she could respond, Gran waltzed down the steps from her office upstairs.

"Danielle, darling! I've missed you so much!" She said as she embraced me in her warm hug.

"Hey, Gran." I smiled; I hadn't seen her since Thanksgiving.

"How are you, dear?"

"I'm good! Just a little tired from the trip. How are you doing? You look great!"

"Thank you, dear. I'm doing just fine. So have you been to the firehouse yet?" She asked.

"Yep, just came from there actually – starting tomorrow." I smiled, very happy about that fact. Gran seemed happy too, because her smile was even bigger than mine was.

"That's unbelievable, sweetheart! We will be seeing so much more of each other, I'm excited!" Gran grinned, and gave me another hug. "Just be aware of all those men over there, they can get very… annoying, if you know what I mean." She grinned, and then winked at me. I giggled a little bit.

"Yeah, I think I already know what you mean…" I replied, laughing. Before Gran could respond, we were interrupted.

"Well, well, well, what do we got here?" A man, obviously a police officer, asked from behind me. He had a very conceited look about him, as he eyed me, with a crooked smile. The woman standing next to him, his partner I guessed, elbowed him in the stomach.

"A human being," I replied, "What species are you?" I asked, obviously not impressed by his failing attempt to impress me.

"Ooh, feisty! I like that…" He grinned. I rolled my eyes and looked towards Gran.

"Boscorelli, don't you have other things to be doing other than flirting with _my_ granddaughter?" Gran asked him.

"Nope, not really." He smiled.

"Ugh," Gran sighed, and then looked towards me. "Danielle, this is Officer Faith Yokis, and her slimy partner, Officer Boscorelli – but we all just call him Bosco." She said. Bosco reached to shake my hand, but I rudely ignored him, and went straight to Faith.

"Nice to meet you, Danielle." She smiled. Obviously, Officer Yokis was much more polite than her partner.

"Hey, Faith. Call me Dani. It's nice to meet you." I returned the smile, and shook her hand.

"What? It's not nice to meet me?" Bosco snarled, but still had that stupid crooked smile on his face.

I made my reply, short and sweet. "Nope." I smiled, and then turned back towards Gran. I could see him cross his arms out of the corner of my eye.

"So what brings you to New York, Dani?" Faith asked me. Before I could reply, Gran had already started.

"She's a new paramedic across the street." She smiled, proudly. "Starting tomorrow."

"Oh, really? Awesome. Looks like we'll be seeing more of you!" Faith smiled.

"You're a paramedic?" Bosco asked me. I rolled my eyes, and turned towards him.

"Yes, I am…"

"Well you can give me CPR _any day_." He grinned. Faith elbowed him in the stomach again, as Gran and I rolled our eyes. "What was that for!?" he asked her, but she just rolled her eyes.

"Okay," I started, changing the subject. "I should go home and finish unpacking." I said, hugging Gran, and shaking Faith's hand again.

"Have a good day, sweetie!" Gran called after me as I started walking.

"Hey! Don't I get a hug, or hand shaking, or something?" Bosco called after me. I paused, with my hand on the door handle and smiled.

"Nope." I grinned, and then went out the door. I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure I heard him say 'I think I'm in love…' to Faith after I walked out. I laughed to myself, as I walked down the street to my car.

Not entirely sure why, I drove home smiling...


	3. One Hour

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

_**A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying this so far... its a little story I've had in my head for a while. Basically i'm already planning a sequel (that's how far ahead i am in my mind!) :P Thanks to my reviewers!!: Flutiegal, and lilred15**_

**Chapter 3  
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It was my first day of work at the 55-Firehouse, working as a FD-NY Paramedic. I had a little bit of butterflies in my stomach as I got ready for my day. I knew it would be a very long shift, especially considering I was used to working from 7am to 3pm. Now I'm working the 3pm through 11pm shift. I woke up around seven-thirty this morning, which is the time I'm used to waking up when I don't have to work. Now I would have to get used to going to bed _way _later, and finally being able to sleep until noon like I used to do when I was a teenager. That's a change!

I knew the day would be exhausting, not only because of my new schedule, but also because I hadn't slept well the night before. First it didn't help that my mind was running through millions of different things before I _finally_ fell asleep, but the main problem was I had a very strange, and yet scary dream... I shuddered as my mind wandered back to it.

_It was dark... and cold. There was just a little bit of sunlight shining through the cracks of the door, which was about two stories up. I tried to open it, but we were locked in. For nearly five minutes I pounded on the door, screaming for help. No one came. I screamed one more time, and then ran back down the stares to him. I didn't know who it was, but it was a man. His face was blurry. All I saw was blood, in two different places on his body. _

_He had been shot twice.  
Once in the upper right shoulder, and once in his upper abdomen. He was slowly slipping away... as he shook, trying to catch his breath._

_"No, please, no! Don't do this!" I screamed, as I held his head up with my forearm, using all my strength to scoop his upper-body up into my lap. A tear ran down my face. "Please, I love you. Don't go..." I sobbed, and then he whispered._

_"I love you." He said, gasping for air. "It doesn't hurt as bad as it seems..." He said in between tremors. He coughed once, and whispered again. "Dani, look at me." He demanded, in a sharp, yet quite voice. I looked at him, with tears streaming down my face. "You changed me. You made me a better person." He said, coughing again, and then continued. "__You are my life. __You are the one and only thing that made my life worth living. And for that, I will thank God every single moment for bringing me to you." His voice was getting very rough, and even more quiet. I started crying more, as I buried my face in his chest. _

_"Don't do that! Don't you say bye to me!" I yelled, but his face was soft, completely stubborn as usual. He knew it was time, and as much as I didn't let myself believe it, deep down, I knew it was too. I didn't care... I still begged. "Please, baby, please don't! Don't..." I sobbed. "Please don't leave me. I can't... I can't lose you."  
_

_At that very moment, he reached his hand up and lifted my chin, making me look him in the eyes. With his thumb, he wiped the tears that kept streaming, and then tucked my hair behind my ear. His breathing was getting further and further apart... and his gasps were getting more intense. "I love you." He whispered, once more. His hand slowly dropped from my face, and dropped to the ground next to him. His body had enough. It couldn't take it anymore, and finally, after four hours of bleeding through the wounds, it shut down._

_"No!" I screamed, holding him even tighter than before. I sobbed for what seemed hours, and then suddenly stopped. I wasn't giving up yet. I carefully lifted him off my lap, and onto the flat ground. His body straight, I started CPR. "1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15..." I counted out-loud, trying to concentrate as I pushed against his chest. I leaned down, pinched his nose shut, and breathed through his mouth for him.  
Nothing happened.  
I put my hands back on his chest, and started pumping again. "__1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15...__" I counted, then breathed in his mouth again...this time, I kept breathing. His lips were getting cold. I managed to pull myself away, and then started pumping his chest again. "__1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8...9...10...11...12...13...14...15..." I started breathing for him, and again, nothing happened. I then lay myself over his body, trying to keep him warm. My attempt failed, as his lips slowly turned blue. I reached to grab his hand, which just a couple of minutes ago was warm against my face. Now, it was cold. I sobbed into his chest again, this time, my faith had been shattered._

_He was gone._

I had chills running up and down my body, as I re-thought my dream. Why did I have such a strange dream? And who was this man, that in my dream, I cared so much about? I had no idea. I shook off my thoughts, as I grabbed my coat and purse, and headed for the door.

Throughout the day my mind kept wondering back to that dream, just trying to make sense of it. By mid-shift, I decided I wasn't going to think about it anymore. I had very strange dreams often, it was probably just one of those again. I shook it off, as I sat in the passengers seat of the EMS bus, with Doc driving. We were on our, (can you believe it?), eighth run of the day. I was loving it. Not the fact that these were all injured people, of course, but just that we were actually _working_. Unlike back in Middleton, where we only got a couple calls a day.

The sirens blared, as I watched out my window at the beautiful city. We pulled up to the car accident in which we were responding to, and I got out of the bus - grabbing the bags on the way. Four car pile-up. There were already cops on the scene, as well as another bus. I followed Doc to the first car, which was silver. There were two people in it, one was unconscious, and the other had a slight cut above their head. I aided to them first, as Doc aided to the unconscious one.

"Hello, Ma'am. What's you're name?" I asked the lady.

"Amy." She replied.

"Hey Amy, I'm Dani. Are you hurt anywhere else besides your head?" I asked, as I checked her pulse and blood-pressure.

"No... I... I don't think so." She replied, obviously a little shaken up. I grabbed some gauze and placed it on her head with some pressure.

"Looks like you're going to need a few stitches." I informed her, and she nodded.

"I need some help over here!" I heard one of the cops yell, her voice seemed very familiar. Doc looked over at me from the other side of the car.

"Dani, she's stable enough. Go help over there." He said, motioning towards the green car, where the cop was. I stood up and grabbed my bags, then jogged towards the green car. I ran right past a police officer who was keeping the people who witnessed the accident back. I glanced over at him, and caught him staring at me. I realized it was Bosco, and looked away. I made it to the green car, and realized Faith had been the one calling for help.

"Hey Dani. This girl really needs some help... I've held pressure on her leg, but it looks pretty bad. Her name is Shana." She informed me. I nodded towards her, and then leaned down through the broken drivers-side window. Her leg was trapped, and she was bleeding from several places. I tried opening the door, but it was jammed.

"Hey Shana, my name is Dani. Where are you hurting?" I asked her, putting a new set of gloves on.

"My... my leg. It hurts!" She cried in pain.

"Can you move it at all?" I asked her, trying to reach down there. She shook her head no. I pulled myself out of the window, and looked towards Faith. "I need you to get some help. The door is jammed, and her leg is trapped. We're gonna need the Jaws to get her out." I told her, she nodded her head once, and waited for the fire department, who was just now coming up the street. I grabbed an emergency blanket, and draped it over Shana's head, then looked for something to break the back window in with. I searched, but couldn't find anything.

"You paramedics really should invest in these things..." Bosco said from behind me, taking out his baton. I looked at him, kind of surprised that he knew what I was wanting to do. He grabbed my arm, and pulled me back a few feet. "Watch out..." He said, then took one hard whack towards the window and smashed it into thousands of little shards. He put on a glove and swept all the little pieces away.

"Thanks..." I said, then crawled in through the window. "How ya holdin' up, Shana?" I asked her, pulling the blanket off of her head - and then crawling into the passengers seat, trying to get a better look at her leg.

"It hurts!" She cried.

"Okay, I'm going to give you a little something for the pain, alright?" I told her, she nodded as I took the syringe and bottle from my trauma bag. Carefully I took the tip off, and stuck the syringe into the bottle, sucking the medication into the syringe. "Okay, you're just going to feel a little pinch..." I told her, as I carefully stuck the needle into her arm. In less than twenty seconds, she had calmed down. I began to put more pressure on the open wound on her leg. Her artery had been severely sliced, and she was starting to bleed out. But the bottom half of her leg and foot were still stuck. Jimmy came up to the door and told me to cover myself with the blanket, because they were going to be taking the windshield off. The only problem, was the blanket was only big enough to cover one of us. Without a second thought, I put the blanket over Shana.

"Dani, cover yourself up!" I heard Jimmy yell from outside. I simply shook my head no, as I put my head down.

"You're just going to leave her in there like that?" I heard Bosco ask Jimmy.

"Dani, don't be stupid. At least cover you're face." Jimmy yelled to me.

"Are you going to do it or what?" I yelled, completely ignoring him.

"Damn, someone sure is stubborn." I heard Bosco say. I rolled my eyes, as I heard the sound of the jaws starting up. I put my face down, covering up with my arms. Then all I heard was the sound of glass cracking, and felt a few shards flying around. I heard Shana wince, I lifted my head and I saw that her arm was still uncovered. I reach over to fully cover her arm, as more shards flew towards me. I ducked my head back down under my arms, and the motor from the Jaws stopped. I lifted my head up, and uncovered Shana while the firefighters lifted the reminisce from the windshield off of the car. They brought what seemed to be some sort of saw into the car, and completely cut off the steering wheel, which finally freed Shana's leg. She let out a screech of pain, as myself, Doc, and Jimmy lifted her out of the car, onto the stretcher that was waiting outside. I put some pressure on the wound, which now was bleeding even more, as we quickly pushed her to the bus.

On the way to the hospital, Doc drove, while I stayed in the back with Shana. She now had an oxygen mask on, and seemed like she was more comfortable. "Thank you." She said to me, in a weak voice. I smiled back at her and replied.

"Just doing my job..." I had finished wrapping her leg up as tightly as possible, and was now starting to fill out the run-sheet. Doc kept glancing back towards us, I'm guessing to make sure I was doing everything right. He glanced back again, and then looked back towards the road.

"Dani, when we get there you should have a doctor look at you're head. You're bleeding pretty bad..." He informed me. I hadn't really noticed...

"I'm fine." I told him, not bothering to look up from the run-sheet.

"Dani," He started, but I cut him off.

"Doc, I'm fine. Really." I insisted. He shook his head and looked back at the road. About one minute later, we pulled into the hospital emergency services parking. Doc came around and opened the back doors, as we pulled Shana out. We quickly pushed her inside, where we were surrounded at once by doctors and nurses.

"22-year old female, sliced artery on the right thigh, 3-liters of Selene were administered on scene, BP 100/60." I explained to the doctors and nurses as we wheeled her in. We were followed right behind by Kim and Bobby with their patient, as well as Faith and Bosco. I pulled off my gloves, letting the doctors do their work - and walked out of the room to the front desk.

"Hey, nice work out there... for a rookie." Bosco said, leaning against the counter next to me. I shook my head and smiled.

"Gee, thanks." I said sarcastically, as I continued filling out the run-sheet.

"You're bleeding..." He said, quietly.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." I replied, sarcastically again, as I picked up the clipboard and walked towards the staff room.

"You know, you really should get that checked out." He told me, obviously following me.

I sighed, and turned around. "Since when do you care?" I asked him. "I've seen you three times today and you've been an asshole each time. Now suddenly you care?" I rolled my eyes, and looked back at my paper.

"Just because I'm an asshole doesn't mean I don't care." He snorted.

"So, you're admitting you're an asshole then?" I laughed sarcastically.

"100%. That's somethin' I've never denied." He said, smug. I shook my head and continued writing. "So are you gonna get it looked at or what?" He asked me again.

"Nope." I said, scooping up my clipboard and walking out of the room - hoping he wouldn't follow me....but he did. "I'll put a band-aid on it, will that make you happy?"

"Well, it's a start..." He sighed.

"You're not going to give this up are you?"

"Nope." He replied, smiling.

"Ugh," I rolled my eyes. "You're so annoying."

"I know." He smiled, and followed me as I walked towards the front desk again. I was about to speak to the nurse, but Bosco cut me off. "Hey is there anyone who can check her out? She cut her head..." I shot a glare towards him.

"Oh yes, just one minute." She said, holding up her finger. She called over a doctor who was walking by, and he came over to me.

"What's the problem?" He asked me. Once again, Bosco cut me off before I could reply.

"She cut her head pretty bad on some flying shards of glass..." He told the doctor.

"Mmm, I see." He said, then examined my forehead. The cut was right below my hairline, and about an inch long. "Alright, looks like you're going to need a couple stitches. Shouldn't take long. Follow me."

Against my will, I followed the doctor into the room. Thankfully, Bosco stayed behind. What was his problem anyways? As the doctor cleaned the blood off my face, and stitched me up, I thought about it. Bosco...this tough, macho, S.O.B. cop, who has been nothing but a flirting-scum-ball, and a complete asshole to me the past two days, suddenly cares that I have a little tiny gash on my head. It's not like I was bleeding to death or anything. I only needed _two_ stitches. It would have healed on its own in a few days...

By the time the doctor had finished sewing me up, I came to the determination that Bosco was indeed bi-polar. At least, that's what made sense anyways. The doctor wiped around the gash, and then put a band-aid over it. "All done. Come back in two days to have them removed..." He told me as he removed his gloves. "You're free to go."

"Thank god." I said, mainly to myself. "Thanks, Doctor..." I smiled, and he nodded then left the room. I grabbed my jacket, and walked out as well. I walked over towards Doc, who was patiently waiting for me.

"Hey Dani, how's your head?"

"It's fine. Two stitches that I personally think I didn't need...but whatever. I'm good. You ready?" I asked him, as he gathered his papers and such.

"Yeah, I am. I have to drop you back off at the house, though." He told me. I wasn't expecting that.

"Wait, what? Why? You're sending me home?" I asked, confused.

"City policy."

"But I'm not hurt!" I insisted.

"You may feel fine, but even two stitches and you're required to go home for at least the rest of the day." He told me. Before I could respond, the radio's on our hips went off.

'_Adam-55-3; __ Please respond. __Elderly woman having difficulty breathing. 92-Parkway & Lexington ave.'_

Doc picked up his radio first. "Adam-55-3 responding." He said, looking towards me.

"See, we have a call..." I reminded him, in hopes of him letting me go.

"It's a job that I don't need a partner on." Doc explained. "Sorry Dani, it's city policy." He said, shaking his head. I shook my head, and crossed my arms. This was totally not fair, one bit. "Come on, we need to hurry - I gotta drop you off first."

I opened my mouth to complain, but was interrupted, yet again, by Super-cop Boscorelli, who had apparently been standing right behind me the whole time. "Don't worry, Doc. Me and Faith will take her back." He volunteered. I rolled my eyes.

"Really? Thanks Bosco. I owe you one." Doc said, as he picked up his jacket and started walking away. I grunted, and turned around to face Bosco.

"Yeah, Thanks..." I said, again sarcastically.

"No prob!" He smiled, and started walking out the doors. Faith walked up to me who had been standing a few feet away.

"Just ignore him Dani..." She advised me.

I laughed. "How do you put up with him?"

"I just imagine he's one of my kids...it's much easier that way." She grinned. We both laughed, and followed Bosco out the doors to the RMP.

I couldn't believe it, but the whole drive back to the firehouse was silent. No one spoke. We pulled into one of the parking spots at the Police Department. Bosco put the car in park, and since the doors are locked from inside, he came around and opened my door for me. "So... I get off in an hour. Want to go to a bar or somethin'?" He asked very casually.

I huffed, and turned around heading towards the firehouse. "Hey!" He shouted after me.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"So I take that as 'another time'?"

"You're funny." I laughed, and kept walking. This time, he didn't say anything. As I walked across the street, I could hear Faith laughing.

"Ooh! Shot down, again!"

"Shut up, will ya?" Bosco said, his voice disappointed. I stopped walking and turned around to look at him. Faith walked inside, as Bosco stood there looking down at the ground. I sighed, and mumbled to myself '_Shit... i'm going to regret this.'_

"Yo, Boscorelli." I yelled from my side of the street. His head popped up. "You have one hour." I stated. He smiled, and I turned around. I made my way inside, up to my locker. All the guys were up in their bunks, already asleep. I opened my locker, and took my jacket off. And then I thought to myself..._One Hour._


	4. Distraction

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Glad you guys are liking it so far! Thought I should ad a Copyright notice, as well as a warning just so I don't start getting bashed. LOL! Just forewarning you all right now, that I have some ideas in my mind, some major twists and turns, and some have to do with some serious issues that some people may not be comfortable reading (I will be putting a warning on those chapters, and this is one of them! Issues that may include blood, death, abuse, rape, etc.). Also, I'm not completely sure of Bosco's age... So I'm just adjusting it for the story. :)  
Any constructive criticism is very helpful! I just want to make the story as enjoyable for my readers as possible, so bring on the advice, and ideas! :)  
**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: **_**JenTWCSINYFAN, Flutiegal, PassionsInsanity, rubadubdubbs, babygurl1944, Vivalina.**

**Chapter 4  
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I paced back and forth, staring at the clock hanging on the wall. I still had fourty-five minutes left before he got off work. What have I done? I agreed to go on a... _date_...with one of the slimiest, cockiest, cops in the city. "Ugh!" I grunted, and plopped down on the couch. Everybody was still sleeping, and all the paramedics were still out on the streets. I sighed to myself, and put my feet up. I really didn't want to do this. Why did I have to be so _nice_? People, (not just men, but everyone) makes me feel bad, and i give in. I _really_ should work on that...

I tried to distract myself, so I wouldn't bring myself to regret my decision to accompany Officier Bosorelli to the bar, of all places, and thought over the events of my day. Only, I went backwards. Starting from the ride back to the firehouse in the cop car, back to getting stitches, to the car accident, and eventually made my way back to this morning when I woke up. An image flashed into my mind, one from the dream I had last night, which woke me in a cold sweat. It startled me a bit, but I shook my head, hoping to shake the image out as well. I closed my eyes, as I thought more about my day... and before I knew it, I was asleep.

And it started again... Only this time, it was different. It was scary. Scary, because I knew exactly where I was, and what was happening. Scary, because it really _had_ happened.

_"No! Get away from me!" I screamed, running towards nothing in particular. Just trying to get away. He was still following, close behind me. He finally caught up, and grabbed my long, dark, curly hair, and yanked me down to the ground. I kicked and screamed, trying to get away - but he punched me right in my abdomen, blocking off all the air in my lungs. As I gasped for air, he picked me up and carried me into a dark room. He dumped me onto a pile of white cloth, and reached for my jeans. I kicked him once in the stomach, and tried to get up. He was much stronger than me though, and without much force behind it, he pushed me flat onto the ground. As I tried to pick myself up, he slapped my face. The taste of fresh blood dripped around the corners of my mouth, as I clenched my stomach. "Please... don't..." I gasped, pleading. "Please, just leave me alo-" I was cut off by another slap, straight across my face. There was a new cut now, only this one was on the inside of my mouth. He placed his hand on my forehead - and shoved it to the ground, holding it there - as he put his other hand on my torso... I screamed once more. "No!"_

"Dani!"

"No!" I screamed, jumping up. I looked around, and noticed Bobby and Kim were back, standing around me. I tried to catch my breath, as I wiped the sweat dripping from my forehead.

"Dani, are you okay?" Kim asked me, obviously very concerned.

"Ye...yeah. I'm fine... Just dreaming I guess." I mumbled, quietly. I shook my head, trying to get the thoughts out of it. I rubbed my cheek - I could still feel those two slaps as if they had just happened. That's when I remembered. "Crap. What time is it?" I asked Kim, frantically looking around for my purse. She glanced up at the clock, and back down at me.

"It's 11:34." She told me. "Hunny, you should go home and get some rest. You look exhausted."

"I'm fine, really." I insisted. "I really need to go though," I said, standing up. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." They nodded, and Bobby waved. I finally located my coat and purse laying on the back of the couch. I waved to Kim and Bobby, and then hurried down the stairs. _Crap. Crap. Crap._ I thought to myself, as I rushed across the street, half hoping he was still there. One part of me just wanted to go home, and not go on a date with him. The other, hoped he was still here. Not only to make sure he didn't think I was ditching him or something, but so I didn't _have_ to go home. I really didn't feel like having another dream like that again...

I was about to go into the front doors, but I stopped when I heard a voice. "It's about time - I was starting to think you were joking and just went home." Bosco said, as he walked towards me.

"Er, yeah - about that. I'm sorry, I fell asleep..." I told him.

He laughed. "That's the oldest one in the book... only usually when I get that, it's the day after when I call them asking why they didn't show up."

I bit my lip. "Sorry." Was all I could think to say. My mind was filled with thoughts... I wasn't thinking right at the moment...

"So, you ready?" He asked casually.

I nodded as we started walking- towards his car I was guessing - but stopped and turned to him. "Are we really going to the bar?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because I know you just want to get me drunk..."

He smiled that stupid crooked grin again. "Well, yeah, you caught me. That was my plan..." He giggled. I smacked him across his arm. "What was that for?" He asked, still laughing.

"For being an asshole!" I accused. He laughed again, as we continued walking.

"Fine, we won't go to the bar." He stated, and then looked towards me. "You hungry?" He asked.

My stomach churned, mainly from the dream I just had, and shook my head no. "Not really..."

"Hmm..." He continued walking, looking very thoughtful for a minute, and then came to a stop. I blinked, and quietly laughed to myself in shock. _This_ was his car?

"_You _have a mustang!" I smiled, and ran up to it. I loved this car, I had always wanted one. He looked over at me and smiled.

"Whats so surprising about _me_ having a mustang?" He questioned.

"You don't look like the type to have one..." I teased, blinking my eyes several times.

"And what _type_ is that exactly?" He asked, now apparently offended.

"Oh you know... _the_ type. The perfect type!" I joked, but he didn't seem very amused. I rolled my eyes, as I opened the passenger side door. "I'm joking!" I laughed, to make it seem more humorous. But he wasn't buying it. He got in the car, without smiling. I rolled my eyes again. "Are you all butt-hurt now?" I asked, almost giggling to myself. How could someone be butt hurt over that!

"No." He simply replied, fiddling with the radio stations before he started the engine. I shook my head.

"You are so!" I laughed. "Geeze, can't you take a joke?" I huffed, then looked out my window.

"I am not butt-hurt!" He insisted.

I laughed, "And you say _I'm_ the stubborn one..."

He glared at me then, and put the car into drive. So far... this 'date' wasn't going very well. It was quiet for a few minutes, as we drove by. I was mesmerized by the city lights, and he, well - he was butt-hurt. (Anyone could see that... even though he refused to admit it.) We came to a stop-light, and he finally spoke. "Do you like sushi?"

I raised my eyebrow at the random question, and replied, "Not really." He glared at me, and put his foot on the gas pedal once the light turned green.

"What about taco's?" He asked.

"Not really..." I replied. He seemed shocked.

"Who doesn't like tacos?!" He almost shouted.

I laughed sarcastically. "Me."

"Yeah well, you said you weren't hungry anyways." He huffed. What a jerk! I bit my tongue, deciding I really didn't want to fight right now. Especially with super-cop over there. We pulled into Jose's Mexican Food restaurant, as the car came to a stop. We both got out, as my stomach churned at the smell. Usually the smells of Mexican food didn't bother me, but my stomach had been bothering me anyways... so it really wasn't helping. We made our way into the restaurant, and Bosco for the first time tonight, acted like a gentlemen by holding the door open for me.

"Gee thanks." I told him, not really thankful - but more surprised. He nodded, as he looked over the menu hanging above the cashier counter.

"What do you want?" He asked, still reading the menu.

"Nothing." I told him, being honest. I don't think my stomach could handle any food right now...

"You don't have to get taco's, you know... they have other things too." He said sourly.

"I'm not hungry."

"So you don't want anything?" He asked in disbelief. "At least get something to drink."

I rolled my eyes. "Fine..." I grumbled, again not in the mood to argue.

"Next." We heard the clerk say, as we walked up. "What will that be?" He asked.

"3 rolled tacos, all with guacamole and sour cream - as well as a quesadilla, and a large Dr. Pepper." He told the cashier. Damn, this boy could eat! The cashier looked towards me, as did Bosco. Again, against my will, I ordered my drink.

"Just a small Pepsi for me." I mumbled.

"A small?" Bosco asked me, and then rolled his eyes. "Make that a medium." He told the cashier. I rose an eyebrow at him. Now what was he up to? I wasn't sure, but he really was starting to irritate me. I was pretty well sure that I knew what size drink I wanted. He handed the money to the cashier, and we walked to an empty table.

"What was that about?" I questioned him.

"What was what?" He asked, putting his wallet back in the back pocket of his jeans.

"Don't play stupid with me." I warned him.

"I'm not playing." He grinned.

"That says a lot..." I giggled slightly to myself. It was funny how easy he made it for me to reply...

"Hey! That's not what I meant and you know it." He snarled. I shook my head, as I looked down at my hands. I cracked my knuckles a few times, and put them in my lap. I stared down at my hands, still trying to get the image out of my head from my nightmare. I felt a sharp pain in my lower abdomen, much like the one I had felt that very day, when it had happened. My only concern now was, why was I dreaming about it again? I hadn't had a nightmare about that day in almost two years. Why now? I winced as I clutched my stomach, just the thought of it hurt. "You alright?" Bosco asked, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper, of which I hadn't even noticed was brought to us. I saw my pepsi in front of me, and took a swig.

"Um, ye-yeah. I'm fine..." I lied. Last thing I wanted was for super-cop to know about my past-life. I took another sip of my pepsi, not daring to look him in the eye. He already seemed a little too concerned for me. Especially considering I have only known this man two days. I decided it was best not to talk about my personal life with him. He eyed me, I could tell he knew I was lying - but he didn't push it.

"So, you're first day... pretty rough right?" He asked halfheartedly - just trying to make conversation I guessed - while watching for the waiter to bring us our food.

I tried to pay attention to the question, but it was hard to ignore the sharp pain. It moved though, from my lower abdomen to my side - making it hard to breathe. What was _wrong_ with me? I hadn't had an hallucination like this in years. The dream felt so _real_, so much like reality, I couldn't wrap my mind around it. "Oh, yeah. Uh - It was a lot more... busy, than what I'm used to." I decided I better keep the conversation going as long as possible. Even if it was with Boscorelli of all people. I had to keep my mind off of my dream. Plus - I really wasn't looking forward to going to bed tonight...

"Then what you're used to? Where did you come from?" He asked, confused.

"Middleton, Massachusetts." I replied. He rose one eyebrow, obviously he never even heard of my small town. I laughed halfheartedly. "It's a really small town... My partner and I, we only got a couple calls a day. You know... 2 or so. Four on a good day."

"A good day?" He questioned, taking another sip of his Dr. Pepper. I smiled, and thought about life back in Middleton. "Wow, I'm glad I've never lived in a small town like that. I'd die." He laughed. I nodded my head in agreement, he probably would. "I'm used to the whole, get up and go, and keep going, days. That's how I like 'em..." He stated, thanking the waiter when he finally brought us our food. I laughed to myself. The words coming out of his mouth sounded familiar. "What are you laughing at?" He asked, looking down at his shirt to make sure he hadn't spilled.

"Nothing... I was just thinking." I smiled to myself.

"About what?" He asked. It didn't seem like he cared that much, but his face was stuffed full of food - so it was a little hard to tell.

"Nothing..." I shook my head, taking another sip of my pepsi. He shrugged his shoulders, as he stuffed another bite into his mouth. I watched him eat, trying not to focus on the food itself - or the smell of the restaurant. I was getting more and more nauseated as time went by... I smiled to myself when I realized that he was distracting me. Distracting me from my thoughts of my dream - from my past. Since he was too busy eating to keep the conversation going, I decided I would start it this time. And what better to talk about _him_. After all, I was sure he was his favorite subject to talk about. "So, you're Italian?" I asked the first thing I could come up with. Wasn't a very good question, but I'll take what I can get.

He nodded, and swallowed the food in his mouth. "Not really. I mean - I have a little Italian blood in me, but not much." He stated, taking a sip of his Dr. Pepper - and then continued. "Let me put it to you this way; I love pizza, spaghetti, _Goodfellas, and _2 out of three _Godfathers_. Other than that, I'm as Italian as the next guy..." He stated, shoving more food in his mouth.

I laughed, partially glad I asked that question. You'd think he was a full-blooded Italian just by hearing his last name. He was being too quiet, which meant my mind was starting to wonder again. Not good. The pain slowly came back... I clutched my ribs, and asked him the first question I thought about. "So, how old are you?" What stupid questions, but ones I had no answers too.

He laughed. "24." He replied, finishing off his Quesadilla. He crumpled up the wrapper and put it on the tray, taking another sip of his Dr. Pepper. "What about you?"

"20." I replied.

"Wow, not bad. Usually their older than me, or teenagers." He chuckled.

"They?" I questioned.

"Yeah. You know - they. As in girls. The ones I always go after are usually older, or way under my age. It kinda sucks..." He nodded.

"Really?" I questioned, not buying it.

"Not really. But... it sounded good didn't it?" He smiled, wiping his hands off with a napkin.

"You're weird, Boscorelli." I said, shaking my head. I looked down at my hands, and I could see him looking at me from the corner of my eye.

"So, want to come back to my house?" He asked. Ugh, you've gotta be _kidding_ me. This is all he wants from me, isn't it? I grunted out loud.

"Are you serious?" I asked, now irritated again.

"Well, yeah." He replied. "If you want anyways..." He trailed off.

"I don't think so..." I shook my head, and grabbed my purse. I stood up from the table, not very happy that this night had to end like this. I wasn't ready to go home yet. To face the dream again.

"Hey, wait." He said, stopping me as I walked through the door. "I'm sorry... I guess I shouldn't have asked you that."

"You probably should have guessed that a little sooner." I said, still walking.

"C'mon, Dani. Don't be like that." He smiled, acting like this was all one big joke.

I stopped and turned to look at him. "Is that all you wanted, then? You just wanted to take me out to dinner, so you could get in my pants, right?" I asked, apparently I was a little more irritated than I had originally thought.

"No. That's not all that I wanted." He stated. His face was hard, serious. It was a face I hadn't really seen before.

"Really? Then what did you want? Hmm?" I asked, and he didn't answer. He looked down at his shoes, and back up at me. I shook my head, turned around and continued walking.

"I wanted to get to know you!" He yelled at me. I stopped in my tracks, and looked back at him. He hadn't moved an inch. I shook my head again, not buying it. He took a few steps towards me, and continued. "Look, I'm new at this alright. I-" He paused, looking for the right words. "I just wanted to get to know you. I haven't had a real _date_ like this in years. Usually all my dates end in sex. I didn't want to do it this time, but it kind of just...slipped out." He said more quietly now.

"How does something like that just _'slip out'_?" I questioned him.

"I don't know. It just did, alright?" He asked, kind of rudely. "Okay, apparently this isn't going to work. You seem pretty pissed. Just let me take you home, please. I promise I wont follow you inside or anything." He joked, trying to lighten up the situation.

I half-smiled. "I know..." I muttered. I walked up to him, and shook my head. "You're pathetic." I laughed. He rose an eyebrow, confused. "You give up so easily..." I smiled.

He smiled back in return, and nodded. "You're right. I do." He laughed to himself. "Alright, how about this - lets go somewhere and just talk. No apartments, no beds, nothing like that." He said, being more serious now.

I nodded. Well, as long as I don't need to go home, I didn't care. "Alright..."


	5. Disappeared

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: I've been in a writing mood. Here's another chapter!(: More reviews, and CC = more I'm inspired to write! =D  
**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: **_**babygurl1944 and Flutiegal**

**Chapter 5  
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It was 1:39 AM, and Bosco and I were _still_ out. After that brief little interruption during our "date" - (when Bosco oh so politely asked if I wanted to go back to his apartment to do things... If you know what I mean) - we had decided to walk the streets of the city. After all, I hadn't since I was a small child... And, I was mesmerized by all the lights and people. You would think at 1:39 on a Tuesday night some people would actually be sleeping. But hey - we are after all, in "The City that Never Sleeps".

Seeing all the lights, sounds, and people right now was a good thing for me. That dream, that had very much seemed like my reality, kept lurking into my mind. As much as a I tried, it was haunting me. The past two years I had been fine... Every once in a while, you know, I'd feel that sharp pain in my ribs from where he kicked me. Or even that faint taste of blood in my mouth, along with that sting on my cheek from him hitting me. But tonight - tonight was the first time I had that vivid of a dream in a while. It scared me, actually. I tried desperately to focus all my attention on the pretty lights, and all the beautiful buildings in front of me - and on super-cop, of course. I glanced up toward the sky, trying to find any sight of stars. Silly me, it's the biggest city in the U.S.A., of course from all the lights I wasn't going to be able to see them.

"Am I right?" Bosco laughed to himself, bringing me back to reality. I hadn't been paying attention to what he was saying. I nodded in agreement with whatever he was saying, but he came to a stop and eyed me.

"What?" I tried to fake a smile, but it didn't work.

"Do you want to go home or something? You don't seem very interested..." He started, but I cut him off right there.

"No!" He rose an eyebrow at me. "I mean... no, it's fine. I'm um, enjoying myself actually." I lied. But, as I had said to myself before... anything was better than going home. Plus - wither it really was him or my mind keeping me distracted, I didn't care. I wasn't taking the chance.

It took him a minute to stop staring at me like he thought I was lying to him (which I was), but he sighed to himself and kept walking. "Hey - look, I've been doing all the talking. About pointless things really. Why don't you tell me more about you?" He asked, kind of... sincerely actually. Like he was really interested. I wasn't taking the chance of talking about my past though. Not tonight.

"Um, okay..." I started, "My favorite color is blue, and I love pizza and Chinese food." I smiled, and then turned and started walking again. He laughed as he jogged a little to catch up to me.

"No, that's not what I meant. Tell me about your childhood. You're parents...?" He asked again, this time giving me examples. I sighed.

"Look, Bosco... I don't know. I mean, that stuff is kind of touchy for me, I don't really like talking about it." I said, honestly.

"Ah, I see. Well, to be honest - my childhood I don't like talking about either. So I can understand that." He replied, this time not a hint of sarcasm on his face. His face was straight... He was being honest, and I knew it. It actually kind of saddened me. I looked to the ground, and fiddled with my hands - now feeling bad I brought up any bad memories he has. "But hey - " He started, "The past is the past, right? It won't hurt us anymore in the future." He said in an encouraging tone. I smiled, relaxing a little bit more, and nodded. It was quiet for a few minutes before either one of us spoke again.

That's when I felt the pain again. I wasn't thinking enough, which meant my mind went straight back to the dream. My breathing picked up a little bit, and I tried to catch my breath. I had to keep him talking. I tried to catch my breath for a few more seconds, then I spoke. "So, um -" I paused, trying to think. "...Where do you live?" It was the first thing I could think of.

He laughed like I was stupid. "New York City, of course!" He said, opening his arms wide and looking around him. I couldn't help but laugh. Wow, he really was a smart-ass! He laughed at himself to, and then spoke again. "Seriously, though? I live in the Rivergate apartments over off of 148th street. Apartment 10 to be exact..." He smiled, and continued walking. But I stopped and looked at him in shock. Was he serious? Or was he a stalker?

"Are you serious?" I asked, my jaw hanging open.

Now he was looking at me like I was crazy. He rose an eyebrow. "Yes..." He replied, with a puzzled look on his face. "Why?"

I started laughing to myself. This was getting very creepy. "That's where I live." I giggled. His eyes opened in shock.

"Seriously?" He laughed. "That's crazy. Small world..." He was smiling now, as we continued walking. "Wait, what apartment number? For all we know we live right next-door to each other." He laughed again.

I giggled back. "19..."

"Oh. You're on the third floor. I'm on the second."

"Rats. That's millions of miles away!" I said, being sarcastic now. He laughed in response, and then we were quiet again. A few moments later he let out a yawn. I glanced down at my watch to check the time, and was shocked to see it was already 2:26 in the morning. I started feeling bad when I realized that he has to work tomorrow, and I was keeping him from sleeping. Not to mention I have to work tomorrow too, and I certainly was tired enough for sleep... I was just afraid to. I sighed, in defeat... I knew I had to sleep eventually. "Hey, it's getting pretty late. Do you want to get home? You're looking pretty tired..."

He shook his head. "No, it's cool. I don't have to sleep yet..." He said, but his eyes told me a different story.

I laughed. "Bosco, you look like you could fall asleep standing up."

"Naw, I'm good. Honestly. I've worked a 14 hour shift. From 3 in the afternoon until 5 in the morning. Trust me - I'm good."

I shook my head. "Well, if you say so... but are you sure you don't want some coffee or something?" I asked him. Neither one of us had anything to drink in a couple hours - plus the caffeine wouldn't hurt right about now.

"Actually - That does sound good. There's a shop right up here." He pointed, and just a few doors down the street I could see a picture of a coffee cup. As we approached it, we had to push our way through a crowd of about 8 or 9 people standing at the corner. I bumped into a man, and turned around to apologize.

"Oh, sorry sir - " I started, just as I caught the face. He turned around and kept walking. But it seemed like he wasn't moving. Nothing was moving, except the ground. All I could feel was my head spinning, and my heart beating faster than I thought possible. No, this... this isn't real. It can't be. The ground kept spinning and I panted trying to catch my breath. I looked up to see where he was going, but he had already disappeared.

"Dani? Are you okay?!" Bosco asked, holding my arm as I grasped my ribcage. I blinked to try and get the blurry image out of my head, but it didn't work. "Dani!?" He asked again. I was able to speak this time.

"Y... ya. I, I'm fine. Let's... Let's just go inside, okay?" I blurted out very fast. I grabbed him and tried to stable myself enough to run into the coffee shop.

"Dani, are you sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." He asked me again, worried.

"Ya, I'm okay. You order, I'm going to run to the rest room really fast." I said, still out of breath. I turned to head towards the restroom, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"Wait - are you sure -" He started again, but I cut him off.

"Yes. Just... order. I'll be back." I said and pulled away. He yelled after me this time.

"But what do you want me to get you?" He asked, confused. It seemed like someone hit the fast forward button. Suddenly everything was moving so fast.

I grunted, my head was spinning and he wasn't helping it. "I don't care... anything. I just, need to..." I tried speaking, but was cut off by a bad feeling in my stomach. It fluttered up into my throat and I spun and ran towards the bathroom. I slammed the door behind me and threw my head over the sink. Letting everything out that wanted out.

This couldn't be happening to me. Not again. That dream I had earlier at the firehouse... it was preparing me for this. I thought he was in prison!? I vomited a little bit more, and then made myself calm down. "It's okay Dani - It was probably just a guy that looked like him..." I told myself. But it wasn't working. Now I was hyperventilating. I felt the pain in my ribs again, and it was even worse than before. I clutched my midsection with my arm, and sank down onto the floor. I pressed my cheek on the cold tile of the floor and tried to focus on my breathing. In through my nose - out through my mouth. I knew this. For heaven sakes, I _was _a paramedic after all! But this... this right here, I don't think there is a medical explanation for how I was reacting. I clutched my mid section a little bit harder and tried to breathe through the pain. Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and I tried to pull myself up.

"Dani? Are you alright?" Bosco asked from the other side of the door. He actually sounded concerned. In that split second, the pain in my abdomen was gone, and my breathing cut down. I stood up and turned on the cold water and splashed it in my face. That was the worst hallucination I've ever experienced...

"Uh, yeah... I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." I replied, as I grabbed my purse and looked for my makeup.

"Are you sure? You looked like you were going to be sick." He mumbled through the door.

"Bosco, I'm fine. Go sit down, I'll be out in a few." I told him as I frantically searched for my eyeliner. I heard him sigh, and then walk away. Finally I found my eyeliner and started putting some more on my freshly cleaned face. Ugh, I looked horrible! I took another deep breath, and put my eyeliner away. That's when the pain started again. I realized I had let my thoughts slip again, and I clutched my abdomen tightly, and fought to zip up my purse. As I did that, I focused on my breathing. Why was I letting my thoughts slip so easily? Ugh!

That's when I realized. I was by myself. The only time the pain wasn't here tonight... was when I was talking to him. When I was distracted. That was the key to it. I needed to go find Bosco. I took a deep breath and slid my purse over my shoulder, still clutching my ribs, and went out the door. I frantically looked around the shop to make sure the guy wasn't there. When I saw he wasn't, I looked around and found Bosco sitting on the other side of the shop. When his eyes met mine the pain disappeared again.


	6. Fire

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! I love hearing you're thoughts! =) I think I'm going to start writing longer chapters... hahaha. :P Lets see how it goes. Keep in mind - More reviews, and CC = more I'm inspired to write! =D  
**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: **_**Flutiegal, rubadubdubbs, & FutureFemaleCSI**

**Chapter 6  
**

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* * *

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We spent the next few hours talking. About absolutely nothing in particular (nothing about our pasts, thank goodness) - but mainly about working in the emergency services; comparing and contrasting Paramedics vs. Police Officers jobs and duties. After having several arguments about how he seems to think a police officers job is "more important" than paramedics job, I finally had him convinced that both of our jobs were equally important.

Once reality came back to us, and we realized (well, he realized. I was done worrying about the time) - that it was after five in the morning, we decided to call it quits and make our way home. Once we pulled up to the apartments, I thought we would walk our own ways. But, he was a perfect gentleman and walked me to my door. After a few minutes of me stalling, trying to keep him talking, he was basically falling asleep standing at my doorway. So - I gave up and sent him home. He left without a fight, telling my goodnight and that he'd see me at work. He walked away, and made his way back to his apartment on the second floor.

Surprisingly, the pain hadn't come back once since I was in the bathroom. I made sure to keep myself distracted - not letting Bosco out of my sight. Now since he was gone, I was trying very hard to keep my mind off of things. I very slowly unpacked a few more boxes, being very neat and tidy, placing everything exactly right. When I was done, I took a very slow shower. Making sure to turn on the radio before I got in. Once I hit the twelfth song, and my fingers were completely shriveled up, I decided it was time to get out. By the time it was done, the sun was starting to come up. It was nearly six-thirty in the morning now. Knowing I had to wake up in less than six hours, and that it's been nearly twenty-four hours since I've slept, I knew I had to let my guard down and try to sleep.

After putting an FDNY T-shirt on, I slid into bed and tried to make myself comfortable. I was afraid to stop thinking about everything I was doing. Every single move I made. But since I wasn't moving laying in bed, I was bound to let my thoughts slip. Finally, I didn't care anymore. I had to sleep eventually. The only way to do that - was to relax. So, I did just that; and before I knew it - the pain was back. It came so fast it knocked the breath out of me. I rolled over onto my side and grasped my midsection tightly. I gasped for air, but it felt fresh. Like I had been kicked again. Several times in fact. Why was this happening to me... again? I let the tears stream out of my eyes, dripping onto my pillow.

* * *

I tried very slowly to open my eyes in the morning. They felt like they had been glued shut. Once I managed to peel them open, the sun was bright through my window. I rolled over and put the blanket over my head - not wanting to face the day again. After laying there for about five minutes, I realized I wasn't going to get back to sleep. Slowly I crawled out of bed, and made my way to the kitchen to see what time it was. (Considering my alarm clock was still in a box somewhere in my apartment). I moaned to myself when the clock only read 10:52 am. Lovely. Not only did I not go to bed until 6 am, but I was tossing and turning all night trying to sleep in the first place. Of course, every single sound in the apartment, I heard, and they completely freaked me out. But when I actually did fall asleep - I found myself waking up in a cold sweat - screaming. Luckily, I had my face buried in my pillow when I did scream - so no neighbors were tempted to call the police. (or worse, wake up the super-cop on the second floor). I must have slept less than two hours total. Ugh. This was going to be a very long day...

Luckily for me, the pains weren't nearly as sharp as they were last night. Every once in a while they would lurk back and hit me at random times - but they weren't unbearable like before. Just bad enough to make me take a few extra deep breaths.

I slowly got ready for work, but even barely moving it took me less than fifteen minutes. My uniform was at the fire-house, so really all I had to do was get dressed, brush my teeth, hair, and put on makeup (which took a little bit longer than usual - considering I looked horrid before I put it on). I didn't even need to be at work for almost three hours anyways. So - when I was done, I decided to spend a little time hooking up my television. After about an hour or so - I finally got it working. Now... finding a channel with something good on was going to be even more of a challenge...

Around 2:15 I gave up on the T.V., and started making my way to work. I decided to drive myself to work today, unlike yesterday when I took the bus. Once there, even though I was half an hour early, I still changed into my uniform and clocked in. Doc was already there - preparing the bus for the day ahead of us. He told me I would be paring with Carlos today. Oh, fun! (Sense the sarcasm in my tone?) This was going to be a lovely day! Ugh.

It was bad enough I was falling asleep most of the day, without Carlos spending the whole time hitting on me. Trying desperately to convince me to go to his house tonight. After telling him no, maybe... Hmm, I don't know? Forty-seven times... he finally gave up asking. Although he still didn't once fail being a pig every time a woman walked by on the street. On the brighter side of things, I did see Bosco twice today. Once at a car accident, and again at a store robbery (where the owner had been hit with a metal pipe a few times in the head. Luckily for the man, he only had a concussion and a few stitches). Both times, we hardly spoke. It seemed like he tried, but we were both too busy - so it just didn't happen. I sighed and ignored it, trying not to think of last night and trying to focus on work.

At the end of the day, I was getting ready to clock out when I heard over the radio of a shooting. I was prepared to leave, but turns out there was only one person shot (and killed). So, paramedics weren't needed. I changed out of my uniform and made my way home. For a brief second I thought about going to see if Bosco needed a lift - but then I remembered he most likely was at the scene of the shooting. Again, I forgot about him and went home.

Once there, again, I slowly took a shower and got ready for bed. I went to bed a lot sooner this time - knowing how tired I was. This time, I gave up sooner and let my brain relax and think about what it wanted. I clutched my mid-section ready for the pain. Sure enough - it came. I fell asleep crying again, but this time a lot sooner. I woke up several times that night. Each time I was screaming as a reaction to my dreams. I woke up for good around 11 am again. I had been in bed for nearly 11 hours - but I actually _slept _maybe four hours. This was just plain ridiculous.

The next two days basically repeated themselves over and over. The sleeping (or non-sleeping, I guess you would say), work (I spent each day working with Carlos, oh joy!), and even Bosco. We saw each other maybe a few times a day, but never really got to talk. It was hard for me to believe, but I was actually a little disappointed in that fact. The one date we went on, I had figured out I really did enjoy talking to him. (Even if he was an ass at times, and had the ego the size of the city itself). The only thing - I hardly knew anything about him. Maybe this wasn't such a good thing that I was so interested in him... that I was starting to think more and more about him everyday. I couldn't believe myself, but it was true. I had enough drama going on in my life - the last thing I needed was a egotistical boyfriend to add on to it... right?

I woke up the next morning, repeating my new schedule. This time I slept about three hours total. I moaned as I made myself a pot of coffee, and got myself ready for work. Very slowly I got dressed, and headed to the bathroom to brush my hair, teeth, and do my makeup. I looked even worse than I did the other day. My eyes burned, and I had dark circles under them. It was pretty easy to tell I was being deprived of sleep. I tried to put some concealer over it, but it was still pretty dark. Finally, I gave up on my makeup (It never made me look any better anyways), and headed to my truck and headed to work. Once I was there, I was relieved to find out my partner for the day was Kim again, and Carlos was teaming up with Bobby. (I guess Doc was on a mission to find one more paramedic so there would be even numbers. But until then - he was the one riding solo).

Kim and I had decided to go down to the nearest coffee shop to load up on caffeine for the day. Apparently she hadn't been sleeping well either the past few days because her son, Joey, had been sick.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked me, grabbing our freshly made coffee off the counter the lady had set it on, and followed me outside. "You look like a zombie. Whats going on?" She questioned.

I grimaced. Nobody knew about my situation besides my best friend Ashley, whom is back in Massachusetts. But I hadn't spoken to her in over a week - so she doesn't even know the latest. But - I really didn't need, nor want anyone else to know about it. "Nothing. I'm fine..."

She rose one eyebrow. "You sure? You look like you haven't slept in days." She was right on too.

I forced myself to giggle a little. "I'm just... still trying to get used to this schedule. Not adjusting too well the the new sleeping patterns I guess..." I said, taking a sip of my coffee. She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off when we both looked to see a black and white shiny cop car pull up next to our bus. I smiled, mainly to myself, when Bosco got out. When I noticed I was smiling, I bit my lip to make myself stop.

"Hey ladies, mind buying me a cup?" He asked, rudely. I rolled my eyes. He seemed to me more of a jerk when he was working.

"Buy it yourself, jackass." Kim said, going to stand by the bus. I giggled.

Bosco rolled his eyes. "Hey Dani, how are you?" Faith asked, giggling too.

"I'm good..." I lied. She nodded her head, even though I think even _she _knew that wasn't true. Bosco stood a few feet from me, as Kim walked back over and started up a conversation with Faith, talking about their kids and such.

"Hey..." Bosco whispered, taking a few steps closer. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. What's up?" I asked, as we walked away from Faith and Kim.

"Are you alright? You look dead." He asked, making a face.

I snorted. "Well thanks! That's something _every _girl _loves _to hear!" I rolled my eyes. What a compliment.

"It's true. It looks like you've stayed up every night the past week. Are you having trouble sleeping or something?" He questioned. I shrugged, and dropped my eyes to look at my feet. "Whats wrong?" He asked, sounding almost worried.

I laughed. "I'm fine. Just having difficulty adjusting to my new schedule. I'll be alright in a few days..." I lied again. He didn't buy it.

He rose an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Yes." I said sternly. He sighed in defeat.

"Alright...well, listen... tonight, do you want to go with me...?" He hesitated.

I rose an eyebrow, confused. "Where?"

"I don't know... maybe to a bar or something?"

I sighed. "Look, honestly Bosco - I don't really like drinking." I admitted. I've never liked alcohol, actually.

"Really? But it's fun!" He smiled.

I frowned. "No, it isn't. Not for me anyways." I said, turning away looking towards Kim to see if she was ready to go. Alcohol... that was another very touchy subject for me. Bosco grabbed my arm and turned me back around.

"Okay - fine. We won't go to a bar. Just come with me, somewhere. Anywhere." He let his blue eyes do the talking. Puppy dog eyes? Was he serious? I rolled my eyes and laughed. I bit my lip, thinking about it. It was very tempting...although the burn in my eyes told me a different story. "C'mon, we can just...go somewhere and talk - if that's what you want to do. Please?"

I smiled, giving in. "Fine. What time?"

"When you get off, meet me outside. If I'm not out there, wait for me." He told me.

"Fine. Deal. See ya then." I smiled, and walked back towards Kim. Even though I knew I needed sleep - somehow I knew that maybe a night out would be better. Considering I most likely wasn't going to get any sleep tonight anyways....

Kim and I got into the ambulance. Instead of driving away, we sat there to drink our coffee. Faith and Bosco got into their squad and drove away. I kept my eyes on the black and white car as it drove away, not knowing I was smiling. I could have swore I saw the car swerve a little as Bosco drove the car... It looked like he wasn't paying attention to where he was driving. Was he staring back through his mirrors as they drove away?

"Dani..."

I think he was staring... wow. I giggled to myself. How sad that he was staring at me.

"Hello...Earth to Dani!"

Oh...wait... I was staring at him too.

This was not good.

"DANI!" Kim yelled. I jumped in my seat. My heart was accelerating.

"What?" I asked, not having any clue why she was yelling now.

She was smiling. "I only said you're name like three times."

"Oh...sorry." I hadn't noticed.

"You know..." She started. "Bosco is always hitting on the new girls." She grinned.

I rose an eyebrow. "You know him?"

"Known him for 3 years..." She sighed. She didn't seem too happy about that. "The guy has an ego the size of mars, always is thinking he is better than others. Every time there is a new female police officer, firefighter, or paramedic, Bosco is always one of the firsts to hit on them."

I bit my lip. "Really?"

"Oh yeah. He's a pig. I don't know why you're in to him..."

"Wha - what? Who said I was into him?" I asked. I acted innocent.

She laughed. "Dani, it's all over you're face!" She continued laughing. Ugh, I didn't even _know _if I was even into him or not. I knew I liked being around him, but here Kim is...telling me that I AM into him. She doesn't know what she's saying. "I mean... he is extremely good looking... _hot_ even." She bit her lip. "You know...as a one night stand, he'd probably be pretty good..." She giggled.

"Kim! Seriously? Can we _not _talk about this?!" I nearly shouted. "I'm _not_ into him. And I'm most certainly not sleeping, or _going _to sleep with him. Not even for one night. So please, just... drop it." Wow, I didn't know I had been so irritated. I never got this worked up about something before.

"Okay, okay!" She laughed. "Whatever you say..."

I rolled my eyes. There was certainly nothing going on with me and Bosco. Sure, I did like talking to him. For reasons no one would ever find out - not even Bosco. And yes, maybe I _did_ think he was attractive. But I really don't need a boyfriend in my life right now. For more reasons than just work, and the need to get used to the city first. But I also have _a lot _of trust issues. And I'm one of those people who doesn't even get into a relationship until I have at least _some _trust with someone - and I most certainly did _not _trust Bosco. Especially if he is a player like Kim says he is.

A few hours later, Kim and I had gone on five more calls. So far, it had been a very busy day. I like it this way though - it keeps my mind off of things.

It was late-afternoon, almost dusk. Neither of us were really talking. As we drove around, we heard the radio beep. _"All EMS and Fire respond to a building fire - on the corner of 78th street. Officers already on scene."_

"Adam-55 responding." I replied into the radio, and flipped on the sirens and lights as Kim sped up. We arrived at the scene in less than two minutes. There was only one cop car there. No firetrucks or other ambulances had arrived yet. Quickly I got out and put my helmet on - grabbing bags out of the back. That's when I saw Faith.

"Faith, is anyone inside?" I asked as I jogged towards her. Kim right behind me.

"We heard screaming coming from the third floor, and Bosco's stupid ass just went inside!" She sounded panicked, but annoyed at the same time. My jaw dropped.

"He went in there?!" I yelled.

"Yeah, I told him not to but of course - him being Bosco, he has to be the super-hero-cop and not wait for the firefighters to get here!" She yelled and looked up. There was heavy black smoke coming out of all of the four windows on the third floor. Two of those had bright orange flames coming through. Before any of us could move there was a loud bang. We all dropped to the ground and looked up at the fresh smoke coming out of the fourth story now.

"BOSCO!" Faith yelled into the door. Another small explosion came from the inside. I dropped my things and ran in.

"Dani!" Kim yelled, but I ignored her. I ran through the small halls that were filled with smoke. I ran up two flights of stares, trying to find where the screaming was coming from. I turned around the corner and saw a big wall of flames. What was I doing!? I'm not a firefighter. I should be outside.

"HELP!" I heard a woman scream. It sounded like it was coming from upstairs. I ignored my thoughts and kept running. I made it up the stairs, and started yelling.

"Where are you!?" I screamed.

"In here! Please, help my baby!" She cried. It was hard to see through the smoke.

"Ma'am, I'll be right there. Just keep talking!"

"In here! Help!" She yelled, I tried opening a door, but it was stuck.

I banged on it. "Ma'am open the door!"

"I can't!" She cried.

It was hard to breathe now. How was I going to get her out?

"Alright, just... just hold on." I told her. I tried kicking the door, but it wouldn't budge. I started looking around for something to use to break it down, until I bumped into something.

"Dani, what are you doing in here?!" Bosco yelled in my face. "Get out of here, now!"

"Bosco! There's a woman and baby stuck in there!" I pointed to the door.

"I'll get them, you leave!" He yelled.

"No! Not until we get them out." I yelled back, and pushed by him. I tried kicking the door one more time, but it still didn't budge.

"I swear, they didn't teach you guys shit when you were training to be a paramedic, did they?! Move." He said, pushing me out of the way. "You're supposed to kick right above, or under the door handle." He yelled as he prepared himself. With one swift kick, the door was open. He glared at me, but I just pushed him aside and ran in.

"Ma'am, where are you!?" I yelled.

"In here!"

I followed her voice into the bathroom. The room was filled with smoke. It was very hard to see until Bosco had his flashlight out. We found our way to them. There were no flames, but it was even warmer in this bathroom. There must be fire on the other side of these walls. The woman had her baby in a bathtub with water in it, and she was laying on the floor next to it.

"Why aren't you moving!?" Bosco screamed at her.

"I slipped. I can't walk!" She cried. "Please, just get my baby out of here!"

I looked at Bosco, and he grabbed a towel. "Get the baby. I'll get her." She said, shoving the towel into my arms. Everybody was choking on the smoke. It was very difficult to breathe, which made it even more difficult to concentrate.

I gently picked up the baby, who must have only been about 6 months old. She was sitting up, but wasn't anywhere near being able to walk. I wrapped the towel around her body, and head, and cradled her in my arms. Bosco picked the woman up and draped her arm over his shoulder. "Go!" He yelled at me. I started jogging down the hall, and opened the door we had come through. A big wall of flames was coming right towards us. I quickly shut the door behind me.

"Go back!" I yelled.

"Why!?"

"The fire is right here. Move!" I yelled, as I could feel the heat right on the other side of the wall. Bosco turned around and ran towards the window.

"Is there another way out?" He asked the woman. She didn't reply, she was just crying. "Is there another way out!?" He yelled again.

She replied back. "No... No there's not."

"Damn it." Bosco muttered. The baby screamed, as I made sure to keep the towel completely over its head so it wouldn't inhale as much smoke. We all got down onto the floor next to the window. Bosco took out his baton and broke the window.

"Hey! Up here!" He yelled down to those below us. I heard someone yell back, but I couldn't tell what they said. He turned around, and yelled, obviously to me. "Now what?!"

"How in the hell do I know!? Why did you come in without firefighters in the first place?!" I yelled back.

The woman was sobbing on the floor next to us. "Why did you!?" So now he was trying to turn this around on me!?

"I was coming in after you're stupid ass decided to come in here alone!" I yelled.

"Why would you do that?" He asked, more calm now.

"I don't know! Alright? I have no damn idea, actually!" He stared at me for a minute and shook his head. He was coughing pretty badly now, as was I. The woman on the floor had passed out. "Bosco, take off you're jacket, and put it over her face so she doesn't inhale as much smoke." He did as I said and placed it over her head.

"What about you?" He asked, a lot more calm now. He wasn't breathing very well.

"What about me?" I asked quietly. It was hard to speak.

"You need to cover you're face too." He replied.

"I'll be fine..." I said, taking very small breaths. He got up and started pacing, looking for a way out. I sat on the ground with the baby in my arms, leaning against the wall by the window - trying to breathe in as much fresh air as possible. "Bosco, the more you move the more smoke you'll breathe. You need to sit down."

"Sit down, my ass. I'm finding a way out!"

"Their coming to get us, just be patient." I told him. He kept pacing, feeling the walls as he went. I could hardly see him now because the room was so filled with smoke. "Bosco, please come sit down. You need to wait."

"Wait until we burn alive!? Not going to happen." He yelled. He felt the door to the bathroom, and immediately pulled his hand away. "Shit..." He muttered, then ran back over to us. "We have to get out!" He tried yelling, but got cut off by the need to cough. He was gagging now too.

The sound of fire was getting louder. I knew it was coming closer to us. But we were trapped. I clutched the baby tighter to my chest as it kept screaming. The woman hadn't moved once in the past three minutes. I knew she needed help. "Bosco... come - here." I coughed, trying to even out my breathing. "I need you to -" I coughed. "...hold the baby. The woman needs my help."

He came over to me and took the baby, and sat down under the window. I crawled to the woman who was leaning against a different wall in the corner. I tried to look for a pulse. "She has a pulse, but she's not breathing..." I told Bosco.

"Well, do something!" He demanded. I returned a glare at him. What exactly did he expect me to do? Pull an oxygen tank out of my ass?

"There isn't anything I can do! I have no supplies in here!" I yelled at him. He shook his head and looked down at the baby, whom he was gently rocking in his arms.

I looked around the room, trying to think of what to do. The firefighters had to be almost here...right? What if they couldn't find a way in? Then we would have to wait for the ladder engine to get here. Great.

I coughed one more time. This time it made the room spin. I needed to relax - that was the key to survival right now. I buried my face into my jacket, and tried to focus on breathing. I leaned up against the wall to try and rest for a minute... but even through my jacket I could feel the heat on my back. "Damn it!" I jumped away from the wall, and then reached out to touch it with my hand; immediately regretting that decision when I burnt my finger. "We have to move!"

"What? I tried that already, remember? There's no way out!"

"Bosco, we have to move. The fire is going to start coming through this wall." I told him, trying to pick the woman up.

"Where do we go?"

"I don't know... move to the other side of the room or something." I gagged, as I tried to drag the woman forward.

"All of those walls are warm too. We're surrounded." He said blankly. I stopped in my tracks. I dropped the woman and ran to the window.

"Help us! Up here! We're surrounded by the fire! Please get up here!" I screamed out of the window, waving my arms.

"There's men on their way!" Someone shouted from below. "Get down on the floor!" I did as he instructed, and got down on the floor, instructing Bosco to do so too. What I didn't expect, was for him not to argue with me and actually do it. But what I _really_ didn't expect was for him to protect the baby like he did. He took off his over-shirt and put it over the baby's whole body (only it's face had been covered before), and gently lay her down on the floor. He took a protective position and lay over her, being careful to keep his weight off to the side, so he wouldn't crush her. That's when the flames ripped through the wall with a big BANG.

"Dani! Get over here!" He yelled at me, as I pulled the woman closer to us. I put her next to Bosco, and lay on top of her like Bosco was doing with the baby. Completely protecting them from flames. Only Bosco and I were exposed now. It was getting hotter - hot enough to have me and Bosco both dripping with sweat as the room lit up with an orange glow. I began choking, not being able to stop - to the point where I couldn't breathe. Bosco moved just the slightest, so he was nearly on top of me too, and moved my head so it was turned, and buried into his shirt. It seemed like forever, but after about thirty seconds we heard another bang... this time it wasn't from an explosion, it was from a door flying open.

"Is anyone in here?!" A man yelled through an oxygen mask. I couldn't see anything, because my face was still inside of Bosco's shirt.

"Over here!" Bosco choked. "There's a baby..." He tried to tell them, but it was quiet.

The weight of Bosco disappeared off of me, and then I was scooped up over someones shoulder. Next thing I knew - we were outside. I opened my eyes and it was bright - but my eyes still burnt. "Dani, are you okay?!" Kim yelled, helping me off of the firefighters shoulder. Was it Jimmy? I couldn't tell, because he was already heading back inside the building.

I tried to speak, but I just coughed. She put a mask over my face, which slowly started to help. "What were you thinking?! Going in there like that!?" She yelled at me, as she examined my body - making sure I had no burns.

I pulled the mask off to speak. "I don't know..." I choked. It was hard to talk.

"You're going to the doctor." She muttered.

"N - no. I'm fine." I argued. She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious... just give me a few minutes with oxygen and I'll be okay." I insisted.

She rolled her eyes again. "Dani..."

"Kim," I shook my head. "I'm fine." I told her once more. She sighed, and went to help with the woman and baby. It was much easier to breathe now, and my eyes weren't burning as much. I slowly stood up - I was a little dizzy. But I dragged the oxygen tank with me and went to the nearest ambulance, where Bobby was treating Bosco.

"You're a lucky bastard, you know that right?" Bobby grunted. He didn't like Bosco too much. "Not a scratch on you. You barely even needed any oxygen. Ugh." It seemed like he was disappointed.

"See ya later." Bosco grinned at him, and then started walking over to me. I was still walking pretty slow, making sure I wasn't about to fall over.

"You're an ass, you know that right?" I muttered through my oxygen mask.

"You didn't have to come in after me..." He grinned.

"I didn't have an option. I had to save you're sorry ass."

"Hey hey hey, what's up with the rude-ness?" He muttered.

"Bosco, we almost just died in there! Because you decided you wanted to go in there alone."

"No, we almost just died in there because _you_ decided you want to be the super-paramedic and rescue me." He smiled that stupid crooked smile.

"No. I came in to make sure you weren't going to die." I argued.

"Sounds like the same thing to me." He grinned.

Crap. I wasn't going to win this one. "Like I said, you're an asshole." I muttered, and shoved past him to get to Kim. I heard him laugh as he went over to Faith. I could hear her yelling at him from across the street.

Not only did we have another three hours in this shift, but I had promised to go out with him again tonight. Crap. This was going to be a fun night... not.


	7. Secrets

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! Glad you liked that one. I've got a pretty good idea of where this story is going...but I'd love to hear you're ideas too! :)  
**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: **_**Flutiegal, and babygurl1944, FutureFemaleCSI, and Faith113.  
**

**Chapter 7  
**

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After spending the rest of the night attending to a woman who cut off part of her finger while cooking dinner, a boy who slipped while running in his house (he broke his leg), a 46-year old man having a heart attack, a man faking to be in extreme pain - just so he could get medication, and a 20-year old who had been in a car accident (after drinking a whole bottle of tequila), we finally arrived back to the firehouse. It had been a very long day...

"You sure you alright?" Kim asked me for the fourth time in the past hour.

"Yes, I'm fine." I replied... for the fourth time in the past hour. My voice sounded scratchy - so I cleared my throat in response. I still felt like I had a lump of smoke in there or something, so I went to the fridge, got a cola out, and popped it open.

"You should have gone to the doctor... You still have smoke in you're lungs."

"Kim, I'm fine. Will you drop it please?" I groaned. I took off my jacket and grabbed my hairbrush, trying to get all these ratty tangles out. She shrugged, and went to take her uniform off.

"So, you going with Bosco somewhere?" She asked. I dropped my hairbrush. Kim eyed me for a minute and went back to changing her clothes.

"Who told you that?" I mumbled, picking my brush up off of the floor.

"You did...when you were complaining about him being an asshole, remember?"

Oh, crap. I forgot about that. I was ranting on and on about how much of a jerk was, and that 'I couldn't believe I had to go out with him later'. Er, I hated when she was right. "Uh, oh yeah..." Was my brilliant response. She rose an eyebrow. "I don't know what we're doing... I don't really want to go."

"So don't." She simply replied.

"But I can't just... ditch him." I frowned.

"Dani, I know you're the 'good girl' and all, but he's an _ass_. You said so yourself. You gotta cancel." She shrugged, putting a chip in her mouth that she got from the open bag on the table.

Should I? I should. He really _was_ a jerk. I didn't know him that well, and I already knew that. But that was wrong. I couldn't just _not go_... I wasn't that horrible. Then again, it really had been a long day. Going to sleep sounded nice...but I probably wouldn't sleep anyways. Going home... that was... something I didn't want to do either. I thought about that for a minute - going home and spending the night alone. A sharp pain - which I hadn't felt since very early this morning - snuck up on me. I gasped for air as I gripped my midsection. No - stop Dani. Stop thinking about this. But what if I went home? It would be even worse.

"Hey, you okay?" Kim sounded concerned.

"I told you I'm fine." I shook it off.

"No, not about being tired or you're breathing. You look like you're in pain - what's wrong..." She walked towards me, eyes focused on my arms which wrapped around my waist.

"Oh - yeah. It's just... cramps. That time of the month I guess." I shrugged and made myself walk to my locker. She eyed me for a minute, not believing me. I should change the subject. "So, um - what about about you? Any guys you're interested in around here?" I asked, grabbing my clothes to head up to shower.

"Ha, yeah right." She was smiling to herself.

"Kim, gimme a break. I see how you and Jimmy look at each other." I challenged. She rolled her eyes.

"Dani, he's my ex-husband." She laughed. Oh, okay... didn't see that one coming.

"Ex?" I rose an eyebrow.

"I found him sleeping with my sister." She said bluntly.

Yikes. "Oh, well that um... sucks?" I bit my lip. "Well... he seemed like a nice guy..." I shrugged.

"Oh, he is... he's very sweet. But don't let his looks fool ya - he will sleep with any woman he can get his hands on." Just as she said that, Jimmy walked in. I started giggling, as did she.

"Where you two talking about me?" He rose an eyebrow, and grinned just the tiniest bit - so a dimple became more visible.

"Um - I'm going to go take a shower." I stated, as I grabbed my close and walked upstairs - trying not to laugh. I could hear him talking to her when I got to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind me. This is definitely a shower I needed. My hair smelled like smoke, and I still had black gunk all over me. I climbed into the steamy hot shower and started washing off. Ugh, I was still debating or not if I wanted to go on this date. I made my final decision when I felt that sharp pain in my abdomen again when I thought about being all alone at my house all night.

I got out of the shower and dried off, then got dressed and combed out my hair. Much better. I didn't stink anymore. I wrapped my hair in the towel for a few minutes while I re-did my makeup. Just a little bit of foundation, and mascara was all I ever did anymore. I never had time for much more...

After spending a total of fifteen minutes in the bathroom, I made my way back downstairs with my pile of stinky, smokey, clothes. I put them in my backpack and zipped it shut. Waving goodbye to Jimmy, Kim, Joe, Carlos, Bobby and Doc, I made my way downstairs, and across the street. Bosco was standing against the hood of a cop car waiting. He was wearing a different outfit, and looked like he had already taken a shower too. All the black stuff from the fire was off of his skin.

Something was different about him, though. He didn't have that cocky smile that he had on all day today. His expression was peaceful, thoughtful even - as he looked up at the stars. I didn't say anything. I was just staring at him, dumbfounded. He really was very attractive when he didn't have that cocky smile on his face. I bit my lip, and shook my head to myself. I walked over to him and leaned against the car next to him.

"You know... there are over 100 billion stars up there?" He asked, without looking towards me. I smiled, and bit my lip. That was random... "Dani, I'm sorry." He told me, dropping his eyes to look at me. He was serious.

I pulled my eyebrows together in confusion. "Why?" I whispered.

"For treating you like I have been." He told me. That was a shocker... totally not expecting that one. "You were right, I'm an asshole. I always am, I always have been."

I shook my head in confusion. "Bosco, where is all of this coming from? Last time I saw you... you were all smiling, being a jerk... being you, I guess."

"Being an ass, you mean?" He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Then Faith went and pointed out how I've been treating you. Since she said that, I was thinking about it and she was right. I've been feeling bad ever since. I'm sorry."

Wow. He actually felt _bad_, and he was _sorry_. I could tell he was telling the truth too... "Eh, I guess I forgive you." I shrugged, and then smiled. He laughed and shook his head. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy like everyone told me. Maybe...just maybe, he really was a good guy deep down. Something inside me wanted to dig, and find just how good. "So, where do you want to go?" I asked him, and he smiled. "Another taco joint?" I laughed, but he didn't.

"Actually, I was thinking about going to Central Park. Just go walk around and talk..." He smiled. "We could get coffee or something too if you'd like..."

My mind went blank. "Um... Yeah. Yeah, that sounds good... fun." I smiled. Was I actually getting nervous around him? Ugh! Not good.

The car ride to Central Park was pretty quiet. Neither of us really spoke. We parked about a block away to go get coffee, and then we walked to the park. We walked together for nearly five minutes without talking. He sipped his coffee which he held in his left hand, his right hand was in his jean pocket. I held my coffee with both hands, trying to keep them warm. "So..." He started.

"So..." I said back. This was a little awkward.

"So... why did you come inside during the fire?" He smiled.

"Um... to see if anyone needed help..." I lied. Well, sort of.

"You came to see if _I_ needed help. Right?" He rose an eyebrow, all joking aside. He was being serious.

"Stop being so stuck up. There were other people in there too." I spat.

"No, paramedics are supposed to stay outside. It's you're job to wait for the firemen to bring them outside so you can help them then. But you came in."

"Yeah, well it's also a police officers job to stay outside, you know." I reminded him.

"You didn't answer my question. You came in after me, didn't ya? You even said 'I had to come in and save your sorry ass', remember?" He looked me dead in the eye. It was true, and he knew it. I knew it. But, I wasn't about to let him know. I just bit my tongue and kept my mouth shut. He grinned when I didn't say anything. He smiled to himself and we kept walking.

It was quiet for another few minutes before he spoke. "So tell me 'bout yourself..."

What was this, a job interview?

"Eh, no... how about you go first?"

He laughed. "You have insecurity issues..." It was a statement, not a question. I bit my lip and kept walking. "Why?" He whispered.

No... no no no! I'm not telling him about my past issues. No way, no how. I shook my head. "No... I told you to go first." I said looking forward.

I could see him looking at me from the corner of his eye. "You know... I've noticed that about you since we've met. You're confident in yourself, but you're also insecure. I can see it. You're hidin' somethin' from you're past, just like everyone else in this world. The only difference is - your stronger than most."

My heart started accelerating, and my eyes grew wide. He's gonna keep pushing this. I shook my head and looked towards him. "And how do you know that?" I asked in more of a snotty tone than I meant.

He flashed that crooked smile at me. "I can read people pretty well. It's part of my job. I have to watch people... their postures. The expressions on their face. You never know when someone is about to snap. Especially in dangerous situations."

"So, you think I'm dangerous?" I questioned.

"No. That's not what I meant." He smiled again. "That's just a part of being a cop. If you're in a dangerous situation, you have to know if someone is about to strike or not. Wither they have a gun, a knife, or anything else. Even if you think their unarmed. When we pull someone over for speeding, we have to watch their postures. At any minute they can reach under the seat and grab a gun. You have to know people, and how they act to do this job safely, and accurately. So I guess it's just my second nature to read people..."

"Oh..." That makes more sense.

"And when I saw you for the first time, you were relaxed. No signs of sleep deprivation. Smiling all the time." He smiled. "But ever since then, and I don't know why, you're always tense. You've had dark circles under you're eyes, and I hardly see you smile - really smile." He stopped to look directly into my eyes. "I'm determined to find out why that is. Because even if I only saw it for that one day - you were happy. You're not anymore. I want you to be happy, Dani." I was so shocked I couldn't move. I kept telling myself to be strong, but another part of me was saying to tell him everything. Only one person in my life knew almost everything, but no one in the world knew the most recent. Well, I guess it didn't matter. I couldn't move my lips to speak anyways. When I didn't say anything his expression became worried. "Look, Dani - You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I can see you have trust issues with everybody - including me..." He paused, and reached his hand to put it on my face. It was warm, but still sent a chill down my spine. "But I'm going to tell you right now - I will not hurt you. I can't hurt you. If I did, I would never forgive myself. You _can_ trust me. I'll do whatever you want, or need me to so I can prove it to you." He was speaking softly. I felt something wet roll down my cheek, he wiped it away with his thumb.

I put my hand on his, which was still on my cheek, and pulled it down. "Please, don't..." I managed to whisper, letting another tear slip. I quickly wiped it away with my sleeve. He dropped his hand from mine and took a step away.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered again, looking at the ground. He shook his head, I could tell he was thinking. "Look... how about - we just start off with the obvious questions. We don't have to talk about anything painful for you." I nodded, and we turned to start walking again. I wiped my eyes a few times to get the rest of the tears out. "Well... what about you're parents? What are they like?"

The simplest question, yet one of the hardest for me. "Um... my mom is really cool. She raised me in a nice house, and gave me everything I needed." I nodded, and sniffled a little.

He nodded a little bit. "What happened to you're dad?" He questioned.

"He left." I answered simply.

"Oh. How old were you?"

"Two. That was the last time I ever saw him."

His eyes grew in shock. "_Two_?" I nodded. "Wow, I'm sorry." He started again. "But, I know how you feel - If it makes you feel any better."

I rose an eyebrow. Was he serious? "You're dad left?" I questioned, my voice cracking a little bit.

He nodded. "Yeah, when I was nine. One day my mom just told me and my brother that he wasn't living with us anymore. I didn't even see it coming." He said quietly. I felt my stomach drop. I had no idea.... "It wasn't until a few years later, he would always try to break into our house. He'd come in through my bedroom window, just so he could get to my mom. I used to love my dad, he was the best father in the world to me and Mikey. But now... I can't even look at him without this burning fire of hatred in my stomach, now that I know what really happened."

My eyes were wide with shock. I couldn't believe it. "Which was what?"

He took a deep breath. "She changed all the locks on the door, right? That's why he came in through my bedroom window. He wanted to get to her, to beg her to come back to him. When she refused to..." He stopped and squinted his eyes, and shook his head; like he was in pain.

"I'm sorry..." I whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah, well... the past is the past. Nothing we can do about it, right?" He half smiled a bit, and we continued walking.

It was quiet for a few minutes before I spoke. "I was five..." I started.

He rose an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"I was five... when my mom remarried. Bill." I shook my head, trying to shake off the worst of the memories. "He was an alcoholic. Pretty bad, actually. He would come home from work every night and drink. All I could remember from those years was my mom yelling and crying. One time, I saw him hit her. That was when I was seven. I didn't know why he would do that, and I didn't know that he was an alcoholic. I heard my mom call him that before, but of course, being seven I didn't know what it meant..." Bosco watched me intently as I continued. "It wasn't until my eighth birthday when he hit me. I guess I was being a 'spoiled brat'. It was after ten at night, and my mom was downstairs cleaning up from the party. He came up and told me I couldn't eat anymore cake, and I couldn't play with my presents ever again. I didn't understand why, but when I asked - he took off his belt and started whipping me with it. It was only about thirty seconds after when my mom heard me screaming and came to see what was going on. When she tried to stop him, that's when he pushed her onto the bed and did it to her too. That's how our lives went on for a while after that. We wouldn't always get hurt, but it wasn't rare. I'm not entirely sure why... but she didn't call the cops on him until two years after that. I'm guessing because she was afraid..." I shrugged, as I took another sip of my coffee. Bosco was quiet, his face looked like he was mad. He squeezed his fists together.

"I knew it..." He barely even whispered. I almost didn't hear him.

"Knew what?" I rose an eyebrow.

"That something happened to you like that. I was just hoping I was wrong..." He shook his head. I bit my lip, and shrugged.

"Like you said, it's in the past. Nothing we can do about it now..." I said, quoting him.

He rose an eyebrow at me and shook his head again. Once again, we started walking and it was quiet. So that wasn't that bad. Talking about my dad, or lack there of, wasn't that horrible to tell someone. "So, that's why you don't like alcohol, right?" He questioned as we continued walking.

"Well, no. Not all of the reason. It plays a big part though..." I started. "My father - my real father, was also an alcoholic. I don't know much more about him besides that. He wasn't an 'angry' drunk though. More of a wild one. He went out to drink all the time, and would bring home random chicks. I just don't want to drink because of him, and of my step-father."

"So, you don't want to end up like you're father? Is that what you're saying?" He questioned. I bit my lip and nodded a little. "You're not them, Dani. I'm sure you could go out and just...relax and have fun without getting addicted."

"I know, and I've had people tell me that before. I don't know, I just don't really care to drink anyways I guess." I shrugged, throwing my empty cup of coffee into the trash as we walked by it.

Bosco nodded, throwing his coffee cup away as well. Again, it was very quiet - and not just between us. I checked my watch and it read one thirty. No wonder, most of the city is probably sleeping. Well, aside from him getting me to tell him about my fathers, this had been a pretty good night so far. At least I didn't spill the beans about all the other crap in my life. I inhaled deeply, waiting for the pain to hit my stomach from thinking about it. But it didn't come. "There's something else... isn't there?" He asked me randomly, I nearly jumped at the sound of his voice. Even though he was speaking very lightly, it was loud compared to the quietness of the night.

"What makes you say that?

"I can tell."

I rose an eyebrow. No way was he finding out about this one. My dad was one thing, but this? No. I refuse. "You can tell... oh that's scary." I tried very hard to add as much sarcastic flair as I could.

"Yes, I can." He simply said. Wow, he really wasn't taking anything as a joke tonight, was he?

"Well, guess what? For once, you're wrong." I spat, and then turned to start walking away from him. Part of me felt bad. Those feelings washed away when he ran to catch up to me.

"No I'm not." He said once he caught up. I stopped in my tracks.

"Why do you have to be so damn confident in yourself?!" I nearly yelled. "You're not _always_ right you know!"

"You're right. I'm not." He agreed. "But I am about this."

Ugh! He really did know how to piss me off.

"No, you're not." I said roughly, and kept walking.

"If I'm wrong, Dani, then please tell me - why are you so upset right now?" He yelled from behind me as I kept walking. I ignored him and kept going. At least there was nobody around. "I told you you can trust me." He said a little quieter. I huffed, and spun around.

"It's not about trust, Bosco! It's about ME! I don't want to - no, actually, I _can't _tell you anything!" I yelled at him.

"Well, at least you're admitting there _is_ something." He stated, not looking. I shook my head in anger.

"Go to hell." I turned around and started walking again. Faster this time.

"Okay - go. I told you that you didn't have to tell me anything." He yelled from behind, not following me as I kept walking. "Just know that you're one person, and you can't hold all of those emotions in you forever. You can't hide from everyone all the time."

I stopped walking. What was he _doing_ to me?! I wiped a tear from my eye and turned to face him. He was a few hundred feet away. "Is that what you think? I'm _hiding_?" I yelled.

"Yes." He said rather quietly. I hardly heard him.

I shook my head, and slowly started walking towards him. Before I got towards him, he started walking off the pathway, into the grass. I followed him for a few minutes through the trees. "I'm not hiding." I told him once he stopped walking. He took a step closer.

"Dani, stop it. Just stop, alright? I can see that you are. You know that. I know what you went through with you're dad - and I'm sorry for that. But I can tell that isn't the only thing that's hurt you over your lifetime." He said, slowly coming a little closer to me.

I was so sick of this. I was so sick of him. Why couldn't he just drop it? "Stop trying to tell me who I am. You don't know me!" I yelled.

"I know you more than most people." He stated. Ugh! He knew he was right too.

"Bosco, drop it. Please. Just... drop it." I whispered, my eyes pleaded with him. I could tell he wasn't going to back down.

"Fine. Just know Dani, that I know something happened to you. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to - but I already know. Just not the details. But - if that's what you want, to keep it locked up inside for the rest of you're life - then so be it. I'll drop it." He stated, and started walking off again.

That did it. I was shaking I was so mad - Ugh, I'm going to regret this. "You want to know _details_, huh? You want details, Mr. Police Officer?" I yelled after him. He turned around to look at me, and then looked at the ground. "I'll give you a detail - I was raped." My voice cracked - "Alright? There, now you know. I was _raped_! When I was 17. It was some random guy that I didn't know. He took me into his car, and drove me to his apartment - where he beat me. He kicked me in the stomach, slapped my face, and then he raped me. How is that for _details?_" I screamed. "You son of a bitch." I tried yelling that part, but my voice cracked. I turned around and quickly started walking towards the nearest main street. I clutched my abdomen as the sharp pain came, worse now than it had been since I started getting them again. I sobbed as I nearly jogged away.

"Dani! Wait up!" Bosco yelled after me, but I kept going. I tried to go faster, but the harder I tried, the more pain I felt.

I ran as fast as I could, but I couldn't breathe. He came up behind me and grabbed my arm. "No, just leave me alone!" I yelled. I hit him a few times, but he wouldn't stop. Until finally, he pulled me into an embrace - and placed my head on his chest - holding it there with his hand. I gave up fighting, and started sobbing. I felt my knees buckle below me, and I knew I would have fallen over if Bosco wasn't holding me. He slowly lowered us both to the ground, where we sat in the moist grass.

I continued sobbing. "I'm so sorry - I didn't know it was anything like that." He whispered into my ear, my head still on his chest. I continued sobbing. I told him - after weeks of preparing myself, and forcing myself _not _to tell him, or anybody else - he got me to tell him. After a few minutes I was slowly calming down enough to the point where I wasn't hyperventilating.

"Can I ask you something?" He whispered into my ear, as I slowly lifted my head off of his chest and nodded. I think I ruined his perfectly good shirt, it was soaked. "Does anyone else know this?" He whispered.

I nodded, and sniffled a little. "My best friend Ashley."

"Who did it?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Some guy... he was supposed to be in prison..."

"Supposed?" He questioned.

"Yeah... I thought he was. Until I saw him a few weeks ago..." I clutched my abdomen again, when his face flashed into my head.

"Wait - you saw him? Here, in New York?" He asked, shocked.

"Ya... actually, it was when you and I went to get tacos that one night... on our way to the coffee shop..." I said quietly.

His eyes grew wide with shock. "Wait, so... that guy... that you bumped into. That was...?" He remembered.

I slowly nodded. "Yeah, it was him."

Bosco's body became tense with anger. Aw, crap. I just told my biggest secret to a cop. I told a _cop_ about how this guy that raped me, was lose on the streets of New York City. This was about to get interesting...


	8. One, two, three, four

_**Far Away: **_  
A Third Watch Fan-Fic.  
_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_  
I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.  
**A/N: **Thanks for the reviews!! I'll try to update as often as possible...my life is totally hectic right now, my schedule is crazy! LOL :)  
Thanks to my reviewers!!: Flutiegal, faith113, and FutureFemale CSI  
**Chapter 8**

* * *

After about half an hour sitting there in the grass, not speaking, Bosco finally got me to stand up and took me to get another coffee. It was very quiet between the two of us. He seemed very angry, though. Not at me - at the situation. The fact that my rapist is lose in this city some where. Honestly, I thought right about now I wouldn't be able to breath from being in pain. The second I told Bosco, though, the pain came as strong as it had been before, but after he just held me there for a while... it started to feel... good. The pain went away.  
I actually felt, okay, about telling him. I didn't think it would, but it felt very good to get all of this off of my chest. Now my only thing was, could I trust Bosco with it? A big part of me was screaming "No! Don't trust him!"- But another, small, very, very small, part of me was telling me: "He's telling the truth. He won't hurt you. Trust him."  
Well, I guess I'm going to find out if I could trust him or not...

"So... this guy..." He started, and I winced. I didn't want to keep talking about it. "You didn't know who he was?"

"No." I simply replied, and kept my focus on the coffee shop that was now only a couple yards from us.

"Do you know what he looks like?" Bosco asked me quietly. I winced at the pinch of pain in my abdomen as the mans face flashed across my memory.

I tried to focus on breathing. "Yes." I whispered.

"Well…Can you tell me?" He asked, a little annoyed. Ugh, why can't he drop it? I wrapped my arms around my stomach a little tighter.  
"I don't know... about five-ten, chin-length dirty blond hair, goatee?" I winced again, trying to focus on breathing. "Can we just drop it?" I pleaded with him.  
He turned to look at me, and I could automatically tell he felt bad.

"Yeah, okay..." He replied. I took a deep breath, as we started walking again. "Wait...can I ask you one more question?" He asked. I frowned, and turned to look at him. "Why do you always do that?"

Okay... Now I was confused. "Do what?" I asked.

"Wrap you're arms around your waist... like you're in pain?"

Oh, that. Damn, I can't believe he noticed. Then again, he does insist to know everything about me. "Um, I don't know..." I mumbled, and kept walking. He grabbed my arm to stop me.

"Truth?" He eyed me. Why can he always tell when I'm lying? Oh, duh. Because I suck at it. That's why.

I sighed, and pulled my arm away from him. "Okay... it's because just even thinking about him brings back the memories...the pain…" I mumbled. "Happy?" I said in a sort-of snotty tone, and kept walking. The shop was right in front of us now.

"No... I'm not happy." He said quietly.

"Okay, can we please just drop it now? I don't want to talk about it anymore." I said, as I winced a little bit again. He winced too, and nodded his head in agreement. We finally came up to the coffee shop, and he even opened the door for me. "So, I'm pretty impressed... You're actually a nice guy. Deep, deep down..." I said, jokingly. Trying to lighten the mood. He half smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess." He shrugged, and leaned against the cash register counter. "I've just seen how much of a jerk I actually am the past few weeks..." He shrugged again. "I want to change that now..." I smiled a bit, that made me happy to hear. Psh, he was probably lying to me or something. Who knows, but many parts of me were saying to trust him, and most of the things he says. He sighed, and changed the subject. "Where are the people around here?" He asked, looking around the shop. No one that works here was around; they were probably all in the back or something. I shrugged, and looked around too.

"Who knows... just give them a minute. I'm sure they'll notice people are out here waiting..." I told him. He shook his head disapprovingly. I rolled my eyes, and called for someone. "Excuse me?" I said a little loud, hoping they heard me. No one showed up, so I shrugged.

"Yo, people are waiting out here!" Bosco yelled. It startled me. "Get a move on!" He yelled again, angrily.

"Bosco, stop." I said quietly, but sternly. Now he was being a jerk.

"Stop what?" He said kind of harshly.

"Stop being a jerk. They are probably busy, someone will come in a minute."

He huffed. "They have costumers waiting out here. WE DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT!" He yelled the last bit loudly again, directed towards the people in the back. I back handed him in the stomach.

"Cut it out. You're being an ass." I shook my head and turned to go find a seat. He followed me, and sat down.

"I'm sorry... I guess I'm naturally a jerk." He fake smiled, and looked down.

I sighed. "No, you're not. You're just used to being one."

"Look - Dani, I really am trying..." He said quietly, looking me dead in the eye. "I really....really am."

I smiled a little. "I know... I can see that." He smiled back at me. I noticed someone was finally at the cash register to take our order, so I motioned him to get up and go over there. He did, and I followed.

"Sorry about the wait, folks - I'm the only person on duty and there is a lot of things to do..." He started. I put a hand up to stop him. But before I could reply, Bosco did.

"It's alright man. No harm done." He smiled, and then winked at me. Wow, he really was trying. I thought he was going to go off on him.

"Cool. Alright, what can I get you two?" The man asked. We ordered our coffees and started walking back to where Bosco parked his car.

We walked very slowly, just talking. And then we spent the whole drive home, just talking. No arguing, no sarcastic comments, nothing. By the time we got to the apartments, we were so wound up in our conversations about our lives (childhood, teenage years, my previous boyfriends and his previous girlfriends, and our careers) we sat down on the steps in front of the apartment entrance. We were there for almost an hour before we finally got up, and he walked me to my door again. I unlocked the door, and even got the courage to invite him in. It sent a complete shock through my body when he said no. He had said that he didn't want to take advantage of me while I was still upset about everything. In all honesty, (I even tried telling him this), I wasn't upset. Telling him, yes, that hurt. But once it was all in the open - I felt fine. Better than fine, actually. He still insisted that he would come in another time.  
I couldn't believe it, but I was actually a little disappointed. He did however make me promise that we would go out again tomorrow night, and for the first time - I was actually excited about it.

The rest of the night went by very slow. I fell asleep in pain again, and had the same nightmares. The only difference was that they weren't nearly as bad. I actually slept a little bit better. Not much - but I did happen to sleep more than 5 hours. When I woke up at 11:30, my eyes were sewn shut. It was very hard to get out of bed, but I had to admit - I did feel much better than I had in days.

Work went by slow… We had two calls in the span of two hours. Not much. I just tried to keep my mind busy. But, all I could think about was him. I was paired with Carlos today. Kim and Bobby went back together since my training was pretty much done now. They actually considered me the leader of me and Carlos. Ha, that's pretty funny…

It made me happy that Carlos was starting to get the point that I wasn't going to sleep with him. Ever. He finally had stopped flirting with me (for the most part). Now that he's not nearly as annoying as before… he was actually pretty cool to talk to once you got to know him. Although, there were certainly those times I wish I could just push him off a cliff.

"Those chicks were HOT!" He bit his lip and smiled as he drove along down the street. I rolled my eyes.

"Right."

"What, you don't see it?"

I grunted. "Sure. Their gorgeous. I'm drooling over here." I rolled my eyes and looked back out the other window.

He giggled. "They are though, aren't they?"

I sighed. "You're annoying, you know that?"

He laughed again, I just shook my head and rolled my eyes…again.

Just then the radio went off. "Shooting at 180 A street, at least three people wounded. All available EMS to scene."

"Adam 55-3 responding." I spoke into the radio speaker, then flipped on the lights. We arrived at the scene in two minutes. There were cop cars all around, but the one thing that stood out was the two little kids laying on the ground. I jumped out of the bus and grabbed my bag and ran towards the mom that was screaming at me to hurry. Bosco was standing with them, trying to keep the crowd away from the boy.

"What's your sons name, ma'am?" I asked the mom, as I got down to check his pulse.

"Mileake." She cried. "My baby! He's only 8! Save him, please!"  
"We're going to do everything we can. But you need to step back please."

I realized the boy, Mileake, was crying. Oh my God, he was still conscious. "Mileake, can you here me sweetie?" I asked, putting as much pressure as possible to his lower stomach.

"Oww! No no no no no! Make it stop!" He screamed.

"Where else are you hurt, Mileake?"

I can't feel my legs!" He cried. I lifted him up just enough to see that he didn't have just one gun-shot wound. He had three.

One in his lower abdomen, one in his lower leg, and one in his shoulder. "My legs. I can't feel them!" He screamed. "My arm hurts too!" He yelled…but his voice cracked at the last part, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"CARLOS! Get over here!" I screamed. As soon as he was in front of me I told him. "Three gun shot wounds. He's losing too much blood." I scrambled through the bags to find enough gauze, but there wasn't nearly enough for all this blood. That's when he stopped moving completely. "Oh no. Oh no… He's in arrest." I told Carlos. The mom screamed behind me as I started chest compressions. Kim and Bobby ran past us to the other two victims, who weren't nearly as hurt as this boy.

After about four minutes, I still had no heart beat.  
"Dani, stop. He's gone." Carlos told me. But I ignored him and kept doing the compressions. One, two, three, four - I counted in my head. "Dani… stop. He's dead." He said again. But again, I ignored him.

The mom screamed. "No! Don't stop! Save him!"

So I kept doing the compressions. "Ma'am, I'm sorry…" I heard Faith tell her.

"NO! He's NOT dead!" She cried, screaming again.

One, two, three, four.

"Dani, he's gone." I heard Bosco say softly behind me.

One, two, three, four. I checked again… still no pulse. One, two, three, four. No. I'm not giving up. "No." I whispered, as I kept pumping his chest.

"Dan… c'mon…" Bosco whispered into my ear, and he lightly grabbed my arms.

"Come on. I'm transporting him." I nearly yelled, as I scooped him up in my arms and jogged for the bus.

"Dani, what are you doing!" Carlos yelled after me.

"I'm transporting him. Are you driving or what?" One, two, three, four.

"Dani, don't do this. He's gone."

"No. He's not. Not yet." I told him. I lay the boy down inside the bus and sat next to him and then continued chest compressions. Nobody outside of the bus moved. "Bosco, can you drive please?" I asked him without looking, continuing to pump the boys chest. No one moved. "Someone, PLEASE! Drive!" I screamed. I saw the mom fall to the ground, sobbing. Her knees gave out. She knew it. I knew it. Everyone knew it. But I didn't want to give up. One, two, three, four. One, two, three, four. Carlos turned to go help Kim and Bobby with another patient. But I kept going. One, two, three, four.

"Dani… I'm sorry…" Bosco whispered softly. He was standing right outside of the bus now. There was blood all over me. All over the gurney. All over the bus. One, two, three, four. It's been nearly five minutes that I've been doing CPR… and nothing.

One, two, three, four. "Dani…" He said so softly I barely heard him. One, two, three… One, two…

I stopped. "I'm sorry." He whispered again. I couldn't speak. I stood up and jumped outside of the bus. "Dani…." Bosco tried to stop me, but I ignored him and kept walking. I don't know where to, but I walked. I found a little bench about half a mile down the street from the crime scene and made myself sit down. My hands were covered in blood and I was shaking. Blood covered my shirt…and I could feel it on my face. The boy was 8 years old…and I couldn't save him. 8 years old. I buried my head in my hands, trying to hold it together. The whole time I've been a paramedic… I have never seen a kid that was shot. Never. I've only ever had two kids die on me. One was from a fire, she basically passed out and didn't wake up. The other one broke her neck in a car accident. But never anything like this. I felt someone sit next to me. I could only take a wild guess at who it was. Not to mention I could pick out the smell of his cologne from a mile away. I don't know why, but it comforted me.

"He was only eight years old." I said, with my head still buried in my hands. "Eight."

"You did everything you could." He whispered.

"Well it wasn't enough."

"Dani, he was shot three times. He lost a lot of blood. There wasn't anything else you could have done and you know it. But I promise you, we're going to do everything we can to find the guy that did this." He said softly, then put an arm around me. That's when I lost it. I broke down. "Shh, shh. It's okay.. Everything will be okay."

"Not for her! The kids mom? Her baby boy just died out there! By some random shooting at a PARK! A park is where kids go to play safely. Not to get, shot by some random gang member." I sobbed, and he pulled me into his arms.

"I know… Shh…"

"Bosco…" I pulled away from him to look into his eyes. "I want you to find him. Find who did this."

He nodded and agreed. "I will."


	9. Not Okay

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

_Officer Maurice Boscorelli has always been the tough, not so serious, joker. His care-free attitude and his 'super-cop' ego has always chased girls away from him. Until, that is, he met Danielle Nash. – Bosco/OC_

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always!! I know the general direction I want to go for the story, just not quite sure what to do in the mean time… writers block sucks! LOL. Any tips would be greatly appreciated! By the way, some of you have asked what Dani's character looks like... So starting now (just did it!)I will be posting pictures of things that may be hard for people to imagine in their heads. LOL. So if you go to my profile, you'll find a picture of how I think Dani were to look if she were real. Enjoy this next chapter!**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: **_**Flutiegal, faith113, and FutureFemale CSI, Harley Pendragon, PeaceLion, EverlastingWonderland, and rs3071 **

**Chapter 9**

It had been about four hours since we had left the scene of the shooting. Carlos and I had been at the hospital for two of those hours, basically just taking a break from everything. We hadn't told dispatch we were clear, just so we could take that break. Both Bosco and Carlos had been begging me to take the rest of the day off; but I refused. Everyone knew that I had been deeply effected by this little boy's death, but I wasn't going to let that stop me from working the rest of my shift. It was eight o'clock now, the sun was down, but the sky was still bright with the lights of the city. We drove around waiting for any calls, but the rest of the day had been pretty slow. Carlos tried talking to me, quite a few times, but I would ignore him. I even yelled at him once because he wouldn't shut up. Needless to say, I wasn't in the best of moods. He finally realized that, and left me alone.

I knew the route we were taking, driving in circles really. I knew that in just a few minutes we would be driving by the crime scene at the park. As we started passing, I realized Bosco and Faith's RMP was still there. I hadn't seen him since he left the hospital; I knew he was going to be busy dealing with this case the rest of his shift.

"Hey can you pull over?" I quietly asked Carlos. He seemed a little shocked that I had actually spoke for the first time in well over an hour. But, he nodded and pulled over. "I'll be back in a few minutes." I told him before getting out of the bus. I walked across the street to the park, where I eventually found Bosco and Faith talking to what seemed to be witnesses. I think I recognized a few of these people from earlier…

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Bosco asked, turning away from the person he was talking too. He was a little bit surprised, and concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Heard anything new?" I asked him, not really looking him in the eye. I wasn't fine, and I'm sure he could see that.

"Yeah, we have a few leads - but nothing major. You sure your okay?"

I avoided his question. "Did anyone see it happen?"

He sighed. "Nobody actually saw the gun. They weren't paying attention. They heard the shots and hit the ground - by the time anyone looked up all they saw were the kids that were shot. There was one person who said they saw someone running away…" He trailed off. I looked to the ground, thinking. Had I seen anyone running from the scene while we were driving up? "Dani, are you sure you're okay?" He asked again.

"Did they see what he was wearing?"

"Stop changing the subject. Are. You. Okay?" He asked sternly.

"You didn't answer my question."

"You didn't answer mine either. So we're even." He said quietly, then turned to talk to a what looked to be a witness that was waiting for him. Ugh, he pisses me off sometimes. Well, no… all the time really.

I cleared my throat, and he turned back around. "You already know the answer to your question. Will you answer mine now, please?"

"You never answered me." He said. What a smartass.

"Is it even necessary?"

"I guess not."

"Truth? Please?" I asked almost rudely. I didn't care.

He inhaled. "Tall and skinny - but wearing baggy clothing. Caucasian. No one saw his face, but he had a Yankee's baseball cap and a red hoodie on." He answered quietly. I nodded and turned away, starting to walk back to the bus. At least I knew what I was looking for. "Dani, wait up." He yelled and jogged after me. "What are you going to do?"

"Find him."

"No, you're not." He looked… mad. "That's my job, not yours. Your job is to help people who are hurt. My job is to find the ones that hurt them."

"You mean the ones that kill them." I stated. He didn't reply, so I turned and kept walking.

"Dani, please don't…" He was begging now. I didn't stop walking. "Please… He's dangerous. I don't… I don't want anything to happen to you." He said quietly.

I stopped and turned to face him. His eyes pleaded with mine. "I wont do anything. If I see him…I'll…" I trailed off, shaking my head.

"If you see him… stay put. Don't get out of the bus. Just call me. Don't report it to dispatch. You call me, and only me." He ordered. "And please… just stay in the bus. If it's even him that did it, he's heavily armed. Very dangerous."

I nodded. "Okay." I started walking towards the bus again.

"Oh, and Dani?" He yelled after me. I looked back towards him. "I'm going to have to work a little late tonight… so if you still want to…" He started, but I cut him off.

"No. I just want to go home once I clock out. We'll go another time…" I said, almost in a sad tone. I really did want to just go home, but I was kind of sad that I made myself say that. He looked disappointed too. He gently nodded, and I turned away, biting my lip. I made it back to the bus and Carlos rose an eyebrow at me.

"Are you two like, an item now or something?" He asked.

I slammed the door and rolled my eyes. "No, why?" I mumbled as I buckled my seatbelt.

"The way he looks at you… and you look at him…" He was almost grinning.

"No, Carlos. It isn't like that. Will you just drive, please? We're looking for a tall white guy whose wearing a Yankee's hat, and a red hoodie."

He shook his head and mumbled. "Whatever you say."

--

It was 10:55 now, and we were on our way back to the firehouse. Not only had I not seen Bosco since we drove by the park 3 hours ago, but we had seen no sign of the shooter. As we pulled into the firehouse driveway, I glanced across the street to the police station, just curious to see if Bosco and Faith were back yet. I was pretty bummed when I saw that they weren't.

With a sigh, I went upstairs to change into my regular clothes, and then clocked out at exactly eleven p.m.. I sluggishly walked by Kim and Bobby as they walked in from their last call, and told them goodnight. They both tried to talk to me, trying to cheer me up, but I insisted I had to get home. I didn't _have_ to get home, though. I just wasn't up to talking to anyone. But, I didn't want to go home and sit alone either. As I drove, I knew I would have to come up with something to keep my mind off of things. Sleeping (even though I definitely needed it), was completely out of the picture. That would not be fun, at all. Once I got inside my apartment, I quickly ran around turning on every single light. It freaked me out being alone in the dark; especially tonight.

I decided to turn the TV on, and after flipping through what seemed to be hundreds of channels that were all news about the shooting, I finally stopped on a movie. Of course, it had to be _Titanic_. A movie I'd seen a dozen times before. Did there have to be love and death in every single thing? I guess so.

It was just at the part where the ship hit the ice burg. I watched all the way to when the ship goes down, and Jack saves Rose (again) by risking his life - putting her on the bed frame to get her out of the water.

'_I love you, Jack.' Rose said._

'_Don't you do that. Don't you say you're goodbyes. Not yet. Do you understand me?' Jack replied. _

'_I'm so cold…' Rose shivered._

'_Listen Rose, your gonna get out of here… Your gonna go on, and make lots of babies…and your gonna watch 'em grow. Your going to die an old, old lady, warm in your bed. Not here, not this night. Not like this, do you understand me?'_

Shortly after he had said that, and they made their 'pact', Jack died from being in that freezing cold water for so long. Rose survived, and committed to her end of the bargain. She had babies, watched them grow, and died an old lady, warm in her bed. By the time old Rose dropped the necklace into the ocean, I was nearly sobbing. That's when there was a knock at the door. What the hell? I wiped my eyes and looked at the clock. It was nearly two a.m.! Whoever was here this late was going to get punched in the face. I wiped my eyes again with the sleeves on my sweatshirt and looked through the peep hole in the door.

My heart started racing. I guess I should have known it was him all along. I unlocked the door and tried to calm myself down. He was smiling when I opened the door. His smile quickly faded and turned into concern.

"You alright?! It looks like you've been crying…" He whispered.

Crap. "Yeah I have. I was just watching this stupid movie…" I said as I walked over and grabbed the remote to turn off the T.V.. The credits were rolling now, so the music was pretty loud and depressing.

"_Titanic_, eh?" He grinned. "Didn't know you were into all that mushy stuff…"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well, I am. So shut up." I stated. He giggled. "Why are you here?" I asked almost rudely.

"Well," he started, and then shut the door behind him, locking it. "Now that I've got you here where you can't run away… I wanted to ask you…again…if you were okay…" He said slowly, almost nervously.

"So…you're checking up on me now?" I rose an eyebrow, trying to blow him off. He didn't say anything, he just looked down.

"You know what… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even come over…" He didn't sound mad… he sounded upset. He turned and went for the door. I followed after him.

"No, don't go… Please." I put my hand on his, which was on the door handle. His eyes locked mine for a brief second. "I'm sorry…" I whispered. He didn't say anything, but he looked back at me in my eyes. "I'm not okay…" I whispered so quietly I'm not even sure if he heard me. But he did.

"I know you're not. That's why I'm here." He whispered back. I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face again. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, tucking my hair behind my ear for me, holding his hand there. I shook my head no. "Do you want me to leave?" He asked again, and I shook my head no, again. "Okay…Well, what _do_ you want?"

I hesitated for a minute, trying to remind myself to breathe. I'm sure he could feel the heat on my face from my nervousness. "I… just want you to be here. That's all." I sniffled a bit, as he wiped a tear off of my cheek. He smiled and gently nodded. "What do _you_ want?" I asked, curiously.

He smiled that crooked grin of his that I loved so much. "I just want to be here with you." He said, putting his other hand on the other side of my face, and slowly brought my lips to his. It made my head spin even more than it was already. Suddenly, I had no more reason to cry… That I could think of at that moment anyway.

After a few seconds, he pulled away. I smiled, and sniffled a little bit - and then wiped the rest of the tears away. So many emotions were going through me I didn't know what to do, or how to handle it. He sighed, grabbed my hand and towed me over to the couch. He sat down and put his feet up, and then pulled me to sit next to him, and pulled my head down to lay on his chest.

We sat there in the quiet, for I don't even know how long. At least an hour, maybe more. I thought he had fallen asleep, so I looked up to see his face. He was still awake. He looked down at me and smiled…

Even though my heart was racing, I hadn't felt so comfortable in my own house since…well…ever. I actually felt safe. I felt my eyes getting heavier and heavier by the second. A few minutes later I let out a small yawn. He chuckled a little bit.

"I guess that's my queue to leave…" He giggled.

I sat up very fast, surprised. "No!" I nearly yelled, and he rose an eyebrow at me. I composed myself quickly and started again. "I mean… no. Please, don't go…"

He smiled. "Dani… You have to work tomorrow. You should get some sleep…"

I shook my head. "I haven't slept in two weeks…why start now?" I mumbled.

"Two weeks?" He asked, kind of shocked. "Why?"

"You know why." I answered. He thought about it for a second and sighed. "But, I know…you need sleep too… " I sighed as well.

He half smiled. "Yeah, I do…" Neither one of us moved. I could tell he didn't want to leave. And I sure as hell didn't want him to leave either. "Are you cold?" He asked. Well, that was random. I rose an eyebrow. "I could get us a blanket… we could just sleep here." He proposed.

I smiled at the thought. "Well, I do have a bed, you know…"

He laughed. "Really?" He asked, sarcastically.

I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. We both stood up and walked into my room. Then both of us crawled into my bed. We didn't change out of our clothes or anything… we were exactly how we were on the couch. And much to my surprise, I fell asleep almost instantly, and didn't wake up once all night.


	10. Long Day

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Alright..........after a long writers-block, we're slowly getting somewhere! Let me know what you think. Opinions and ideas are always welcome :)**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: rubadubdubbs and Flutiegal**_

**Chapter 10**

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. _My alarm clock blared and I nearly jumped. It was the first time my alarm has woken me up in weeks. I quickly reached over and hit it a few times until it shut off. Why do they make those damn things so loud?

Was it really 12:30? Had I really slept _nine_ full hours? I rubbed my eyes a few times, and then looked back at the clock one more time to make sure I had read it right. Yup, 12:31 to be exact. I blinked incredulously at the clock. I couldn't believe it. I looked next to me and realized Bosco wasn't there. Had he even been there at all? Or was it just a dream?

I nearly gasped when I heard a voice come through the door behind me. "Hey, you're awake." He smiled at me. I guess I hadn't been dreaming after all. He was walking in the bedroom door, carrying two coffee's from the shop down the street. "I was hoping to be back before you woke up…" He said as he set the coffee's down on the night stand.

I blinked a few times, to make sure I was really awake. "Uh…Yeah, I just got up... You got coffee?" I asked, still half asleep.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I thought you could use some… Did you sleep alright?" He asked, crawling back into bed, putting his arm around me.

I nodded a little. "Mhm… A lot better than I have in weeks…" I rubbed my eyes again, shook my head side to side for a second trying to wake up. "When did you get up?"

"About an hour ago… I had to run something over to my mom's. You didn't hear her call?" He giggled.

Huh. His phone rang? "No…" I bit my lip. "I guess I really was tired…" I yawned again. He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Is your mom alright?"

"Oh, yeah she's fine. Demanding and pushy as ever…" He smiled, raising his eyebrows. "She just needed to talk to me about something. No biggy."

I didn't want to sound pushy, either… but something wasn't right about his tone. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah… she's just concerned about my brother. Nothing to worry about though." He gave me a reassuring smile, then took a sip of his coffee.

"You have a brother?" I asked. I could vaguely recall him mentioning something about a brother a few nights ago...

"Yeah, Mikey." He playfully rolled his eyes. "My little brother... I love him, but he sure is a handful…" He said, shaking his head. Should I even ask? I bit my lip debating. He answered my unasked question right then. "He's just kind of the rebel out of the two of us, I guess you could say. Ya know - he's involved with drugs and all that." He shrugged - "But I guess he's pretty much past it by now."

"You guess?"

"Well… it's just hard to tell with him sometimes. One day it seems like he's off of it, next day he's back on. It's been that way for years. I haven't seem him in 6 months, but I've been hearing good things from his friends. They all say he's been clean." He smiled then, proud of his baby brother.

That made me smile. "I'm glad to hear that."

"Can I ask you something?" Bosco suddenly asked.

Something about his tone scared me. Please don't let it be bad, please don't let it be bad… "Uh, sure… what's up?"

"How do you feel about…being in a relationship? With…me?" He asked nervously.

I bit my lip again. Now _that_ was unexpected. "Um…" I was trying not to smile. "Well, how do _you_ feel?"

"I would love to be...in one… with you…" He smiled, stuttering. I giggled a little bet at his nervousness.

"Me too…" I smiled back. "But…" I hesitated. Crap. This sucked. He rose an eyebrow, waiting. "There are a few things, though…"

"Well, lets hear it…" He said enthusiastically.

"Being with you, is what I want." I stated. He smiled, and nodded. "It's just that… I'm not _ready_ for the whole label part. All the being 'boyfriend and girlfriend' stuff." I tried to explain, but words weren't coming out right.

"So… you want to wait…?" He asked, confused.

"No. I mean… kinda." Ugh. I wanted to slap myself. "I want you here with me. Just like last night. _That's_ the part I want. I want _you_. But, Bosco… I'm the new girl at work still. I don't want to be the one that just _jumps _into relationships." That sounded a bit better.

"Oh…I see where you're coming from. But who cares what everyone thinks?"

"Me." I stated. "I'm still trying to build friendships with all my co-workers. I don't want them to think I'm... _that_ girl."

He bit his lip. "I totally understand. That's sort of what I want, too. The relationship, without everyone else knowing. That's what you're saying, right?"

"Right." I smiled.

"So… you're my…?" He smiled, but didn't finish. I sighed, and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah… I'm you're _girlfriend._" I bit my lip, that sounded odd. It didn't sound like the right word.

"And I'm you're… boyfriend?" He smiled.

"Yes. But nobody is going to know about it… just us." I told him. He nodded in agreement, then put his warm hand on my cheek. I nearly jumped at the touch, and he giggled at me. And then he slowly leaned in and kissed me. My head spun, just like last night. Although, this kiss was much different. It was more intense. He entangled his fingers through my hair, I hesitated a little bit, slowly tried to pull away from the kiss, but I gave in. We slowly slid down until we were laying completely flat on my bed. He hovered over my body, holding his weight just right so I did not feel it.

It got more and more intense as I ran my hands under his shirt, finally pulling it off. He went to pull my shirt off as well. I hesitated putting my arms up to help him, but again, gave in and let him. Now could feel him hovering over me. Not his weight, but the warmth of his smooth skin over mine. It was getting more intense by the second, until he unexpectedly pulled away. I knew that he had sensed my hesitation. I knew it. Damn it, Dani! Why did you do that? I tried to catch my breath as I looked up to him. His eyes were completely serious, looking me dead in the eye.

"Are you _sure_ you want this?" He said breathlessly. Not smiling, not even grinning. He wanted the truth. I could tell then, if I were to say no, he would definitely stop. I knew I could trust him.

"Yes." I said just as breathlessly as he was when he asked me.

"Dani, I swear, you better tell me the truth. You hesitated. Twice. I will stop right now if you're not ready. I don't want to take advantage of you. Hurting you is the one thing I'm terrified of." His voice cracked, and I knew he wasn't lying to me.

"I'm not lying. You would know if I was." I reminded him, and he was silent. "Bosco, you don't need to worry so much about me. I've been hurt enough to know that I can handle whatever life throws at me." I told him honestly, and his eyes were still locked on mine.

"I know that you can handle it. You're the strongest person I know. I just don't want to be the one hurting you again."

"I know. I _want_ to do this." I told him, honestly.

"Why did you hesitate?" He demanded. I grimaced, and bit my lip. "Please, tell me the truth?" He asked so quietly I almost didn't catch what he said.

I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry…" I whispered, running my fingers through my hair - trying to get it out of my face. "I'm ready… it's just…" I gnawed on my lip. I think I was biting it so hard I could almost taste blood now. His expression was even more concerned now. I took another deep breath and continued - "I haven't… done _that_, since… ya know…" I looked down in embarrassment. "And when all that happened… I… was a virgin." I said so quietly I wasn't sure he heard me. Part of me was hoping he didn't…but I'm sure my face was as red as a fire engine right now.

He took deep breath and sat up, putting his face in his hands. It was quiet for a few minutes before he spoke again. "We're going to wait… until you're absolutely sure." He said quietly.

"I don't want to wait."

"Dani, this is a big deal… I want you to be positive."

"I am. I want you… now." I insisted, not giving up. I pulled myself closer to him, and kissed his neck. He gently pushed me away to look me in the eyes.

"You're a virgin. This is you're first time. I - " I cut him off.

"I'm not a virgin." I insisted.

"What happened to you..." He spoke very slow, seeming like he was choosing his words very carefully. "That doesn't count, Dani. And you know it." He seemed upset now.

Me, being stubborn, kept pushing it. "Well, I'm sure I want to do this."

It was quiet for a long moment, until he sighed. Caving. "Positive?" His voice cracked.

"Positive." I repeated. I pulled myself back to him to kiss him, this time he cooperated and kissed back; but then stopped. I groaned.

"Fine. But - I just want to tell you that, I won't hurt you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I ever did." He said quietly, as he looked into my eyes. "I know how much you've been through. How much you've been hurt." - His hand was on my cheek now - "You didn't deserve to go through any of that. All I want is to protect you. Since I met you, I've felt the need to do that. I want..." He paused. "I _need_ to protect you. I feel, its my purpose in life to protect you."

I didn't know what to say to that. I froze. I could tell he meant it too, because he never looked away from my eyes. Ever. I saw that he was even tearing up a little. I placed my hand on his cheek, and then ran it through his hair. "You can't protect me from everything, Bos." I choked, a tear slid down my face.

"I can try." He whispered back.

My heart was racing so fast I could hear it. Like it was going to pump through my chest. I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. I slid my hand down from his hair, behind his ear, and then over to his lips - running my finger over them. "I'll be fine." I insisted with a small reassuring smile. "I promise." He half-smiled at me and nodded. I pulled his face back to mine, and we were back to where we left off, only this time… we didn't stop.

Bosco insisted on driving us to work (together). We actually ended up being 15 minutes late. I would have been there five minutes earlier, but I forced him to drop me off around the corner so no one would think anything of him dropping me off. I ran up the stairs into the firehouse, and ran to my locker. Adam 55-3 (aka me and Carlos) was getting a call as I ran.

"You're late." I heard Doc call from the table. He was stressed out looking for a new paramedic to even everyone out. He hadn't been on call the past few weeks since I started working because there was no one for him to pair up with. It was always me with Carlos, and Kim with Bobby. He just stayed at the firehouse, taking care of the daily paper work for everyone, and reading over resumes.

"I know! Sorry!" I yelled back as I quickly changed into my work clothes. I grabbed my stethoscope, and slammed my locker shut. I ran downstairs and jumped into the ambulance that was waiting for me outside, Carlos already inside with the engine running. Before I could even get the door shut, we were moving. "What was the call?" I asked Carlos, breathlessly. "I didn't hear the beginning."

"Car accident. 2 cars. They asked for two buses to come to the scene… shouldn't be too bad." He said rather calmly. I nodded and combed my hair out with my fingers, pulling it up into a high pony-tail. We pulled up to the scene, and the first thing I noticed was one car was absolutely, no doubt about it, totaled. The other one, just a big dent in the side, with a little bit of smoke coming out of the hood. Bobby and Kim were already at the car that was totaled. I jumped out and grabbed the bags out of the back, and ran towards the other car.

"It's about time!" I heard both Kim, and Sully say at the same time. Kim, obviously talking to me and Carlos. Sully, I was a bit confused with. Then I realized why he was saying that, when I looked up and saw Faith and Bosco pulling up. Whoops, he must have been late too. My bad. I chuckled a bit to myself as ran up to the door of the car. I looked inside to find a man unconscious. He didn't look injured, except for a very small cut at the top of his head.

"Carlos, come here. He's unconscious but - " I started, but Bobby cut me off.

"Dani, he's drunk. He must have fallen asleep." He yelled from a few yards away - struggling to work on the person who was obviously in much more need than this guy. I got a little closer to him to make sure he was breathing, that's when I noticed he reeked of alcohol. Ugh.

"You guys need to get out of there. There's gas leaking… this thing could blow any minute!" I heard Jimmy yell from behind me. I ignored him, and tried to pull the door open. It was stuck.

"Someone help me! We gotta get him out!" I yelled as I tried to yank the door open. Jimmy and Joe came over and tried to force it open, but it wouldn't budge. That's when a flame burst out of the engine.

"Lets move! It's gonna blow!" Jimmy yelled as he tried to pull me away, as I was still tugging on the door.

"We can't just leave him!" I yelled, and kicked the window in with my foot.

"Dani! Leave him!" Joe yelled, but I ignored him. I climbed into the man's lap and tried to unbuckle his seat belt.

I could hear everyone screaming behind me. I knew I didn't have much time before this whole car would explode.

" Dani! Get out of the damn car!" Bosco screamed. I hesitated when I heard his voice. I wanted to listen, but I _had_ to save this guy. Even if this whole incident was his fault.

There was smoke everywhere, making it hard to breathe. But I continued to tug at the seat belt until finally it came off. I tried kicking the door open one more time, but it still wouldn't budge. I climbed out and tried to pull him, but he was too heavy. Suddenly I had someone helping me pull, and within ten seconds he was out, and we were running away. We had just barely escaped before it blew. The force of the explosion knocked us to the ground. I turned around to see the whole car engulfed in flames. My heart was racing, but I felt no emotion from all the adrenaline running through my veins. Everthing was in slow motion. Bosco was pulling at my arm trying to get my attention. It had been him who helped get the man out.

"What the hell were you thinking!? You could have been killed!" He screamed. I stared at him blankly. I didn't know what to say. He calmed himself a little and whispered. "Don't ever do that to me again."

I could tell he was upset, and I felt pretty bad. But I would have felt even worse if I would have let the guy die. And then he looked up to see Faith, Sully, Ty, Kim, Carlos and Jimmy all running towards us. He quickly got up and walked away, remembering our deal we had made earlier. No one was to find out about us.

"Dani, are you alright?!" Kim yelled. I just nodded.

"Where'd Bosco go?" Faith asked me.

"Umm.. I'm not sure." I replied.

"Why'd he take off like that?" She asked.

"I don't know... He just helped get this guy out and then left....." I explained, and she rolled her eyes.

Everyone but Kim and Carlos walked away, but they both looked at me as if I were insane. And for a second, I would have agreed with them. Kim rolled her eyes and walked away, but Carlos rose his eyebrow at me.

"What?" I asked, rudely; standing up and brushing off my clothes. He giggled and shook his head.

"Nothing at all..." He said, now bending down to check on the drunken man.

Oh joy... this was going to be a long day.


	11. Pull The Trigger

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews as always!! **_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: Rubadubdubbs, Flutiegal and PeaceLion**_

**Chapter 11**

It had been almost three hours since the car accident. Carlos and I had already been on five more calls, and on our way to our sixth. I was still trying to catch my breath from the explosion earlier today, but very thankful that I got a full nights sleep last night for the first time in a long time. Today, I definitely needed all the energy I could get.

I was pretty disappointed that I hadn't seen Bosco since the car accident either. Also pretty nervous that he was mad at me. Well, I knew he was mad at me... I just wasn't sure what was going to happen because of it. So I had to constantly remind myself to think about working, and spend less time thinking about him.

We had just gotten to the hospital when I saw him. We were bringing in a little boy who had fallen and broken his arm at school (he fell off the monkey bars). Carlos brought the boy to the doctors as I wondered off to go talk to Bosco. He and Faith were both watching me, it looked like they wanted to talk to me anyways.

"Hey..." I said quietly as I walked up to him. I smiled when I looked at him, but he looked away. I felt my stomach drop. Crap... He really was upset with me.

"Hey, Dani. How are ya doin'?" Faith asked, trying to start the conversation I assumed. She had a small grin, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm good... What's up?" I asked nervously. What was going on?

"Um, I'm gonna go get some coffee. You two want any?" Faith offered. Okay, now I was scared. I shook my head no, as did Bosco. "Alrighty... So I'm just gonna.... Uh, yeah..." She said awkwardly, and then finally left.

I rose an eyebrow, and then looked at Bosco. "Whats going on? Did you tell her about us?" I whispered to him, feeling my hear race faster by the second.

He shook his head no, but didn't look at me. We stood there quietly for a few moments until he finally looked at me, and began. "Malcolm White..." He said rather quietly.

"Who?" I rose an eyebrow. He looked around him, at all the people, and then grabbed my arm and took me into an empty room down the hall.

"Malcolm White... Does his name ring a bell?" He asked me again, still pretty quiet, as he shut the door behind him. Two minutes ago I could have sworn he was pissed off at me, but I suddenly realized his mood wasn't directed towards me, and it wasn't about the car accident.

I thought about the name for a minute... Malcolm White? I had known a few Malcolm's in my life time... but the last name didn't ring any bells. "No? Why?" I asked. That's when he pulled out his notepad from his pocket.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered as he flipped through the pages of his notepad, to read some notes I assumed. My heart was racing even faster, as I tried to read his expression. He seemed like he was going to regret what he was about to say. I had no idea what this was about, but I knew it wasn't good. "The guy you told me about.." He started. "You said he was short... Had chin-length dirty-blonde hair... a goatee..." He was talking in a very low voice, not looking in my eye. My jaw dropped, and I could feel a little sharp pain stab me in my stomach. "I put in your description into our database, and there were only three men that came up..." He paused, and looked directly at me. "Only one was charged with rape... and he was from Middleton." I tried to focus on my breathing as I tried to consume everything he was telling me. "His name is Malcolm White." I wrapped my arm around my waist, and tried to catch my breath. Suddenly I felt dizzy as the guys face popped back into my head. I heard Bosco wince as he watched me, and he put a hand on my arm to make sure I didn't fall. I looked up to see his face, and it looked like he was in pain too. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry. I have to..." He whispered, taking a step closer to me.

I tried to catch my breath. "You don't have to do anything!" I managed to get out.

"I'm trying really hard to find him, Dani... To put him away. So he can't hurt you again." He replied.

I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. "Wait... did you tell Faith!?" I asked, panicked.

"No, of course not."

"Then why was she acting like she knew?!" I tried not to yell.

"Because..." He shook his head. "Look – I need her help. So... I told her that it was someone you know that was raped, not you. She thinks its your best friend this happened to."

I groaned, still trying to catch my breath. "Why did you even start this whole thing? I told you I want you to stay out of it."

"I know you did... but I'm not about to let him get to you. Not again... I'll do anything to make sure that doesn't happen." He said seriously. I shook my head in disbelief. "Dani, the thing is..." He froze for a moment and took one of my hands in his. "He made bail a few months ago. He got out of jail five years sooner than he was supposed to." I knew he was supposed to be in jail. That's why it didn't make sense that I saw him that one night. All the pieces began to fall into place as Bosco continued to explain this to me. "Dani..." He said, and looked directly into my eyes. "He not only got out of jail a week before you left Middleton, but he moved to New York the day after you did."

Just then, it felt like everything came crashing down. The room was spinning, and I couldn't breathe. Bosco was basically telling me that the man that raped me nearly four years ago has possibly been stalking me since he got out of jail? I couldn't even see Bosco's face clearly because I was shaking so bad.

After a few minutes, I had calmed down enough that Bosco and I went to find Faith. I couldn't find the words to speak, so Bosco basically told her that Malcolm White was most likely the same man that raped my 'best friend', aka me. She then made the point to explain to me that someone from the Sheriff's department in Middleton was supposed to send me a letter letting me know he had made bail. But that obviously never happened. I don't think I had ever been more frustrated, mad, and frightened at the same time in my whole life. I couldn't move. Just then Carlos came over to me to let me know we had another call. Bosco stared at me, and I could tell he didn't want to leave my side. I had to force myself to walk with Carlos to the buss, but I couldn't help looking back at Bosco as I walked away. He watched me leave, for a second I thought he would follow; but Faith pulled him into a different direction. I continued walking towards the bus, watching behind me as Bosco slowly walked out of sight. I couldn't help feel more and more unsafe the further I walked away from him.

During the rest of my shift, I constantly felt like someone was watching me. It was finally nearing eleven P.M., and as I started walking into the firehouse after our last call, I nearly had a heart attack when Bosco snuck up behind me and pulled me behind the firetruck.

"What the hell?!" I nearly jumped. I wanted to smack him.

"Sorry... I didn't mean to scare you..."

I tried to shake it off. "It's fine." I said breathlessly.

He looked around to make sure nobody was watching us, and then he handed me his car keys. "When you clock out, go sit in my car and wait for me. Lock the doors, and keep you're phone on. I'll be out as soon as I can. I know you don't want anyone to know about us... So this is the only thing I can think of that will keep you safe, but wont sacrifice that people knowing either. What I _really _want is for you to wait inside the station for me... but since that's not going to happen..." He trailed off.

I giggled at him nervously. "Bos, don't you think you're being just a little bit over-protective?"

He stared at me for a moment, with a very serious look on his face. "No."

I rose an eyebrow at him, and he groaned; obviously not wanting to argue. "Okay, okay... I'll wait in your car." I smiled.

He smiled to, and then looked around one more time. The garage was empty, as was the street outside of it. Nobody was outside at all. So he kissed me very quickly, and then winked before he turned around and jogged back across the street.

I found myself smiling as I shoved the keys into my pocket, and walked inside the firehouse and up the stairs. It was amazing how just seeing him for such a short amount of time could clear everything I've been thinking out of my head.

"Hey Dani?" I heard Doc call to me as I walked absentmindedly to my locker. It was pretty quiet, all the guys were watching TV and I could hear a few upstairs playing a game of cards, I assumed.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, trying to get Bosco out of my mind for a brief second.

"Here, have a seat. I need to talk to you for a second..."

Uh oh.

"Sure, what's up?" I asked, kind of scared.

"I found a new paramedic." He stated.

"Oh, really?" Ha, and I had thought it was going to be bad. I offered him a smile, knowing he had been looking very hard for someone new.

"Yeah, I'm pretty relieved." He chuckled. "Well, she's starting tomorrow, and I wanted to let you know that she will be pairing up with you."

"Whoa... me? Why?"

"Well, I believe you're gonna be the one that's easiest to get a long with, and make her feel at home. She's actually transferring from a different station, so she knows what she's doing; she wont need any training. She's technically a firefighter with paramedic training, but since we're short on paramedics she's going to fill the position. When we find another paramedic, she will most likely go back to firefighting here at the 55."

"Oh, well that's cool. She's starting tomorrow? What's her name?"

"Yes, she's starting tomorrow. Her name is Alex Taylor."

"Alex? Alright... So what's gonna happen to Carlos?" I was pretty relieved I didn't have to work with him anymore, but then again kind of disappointed because we were starting to get a long a little better.

"Carlos will be riding with me again. Joy." He said sarcastically. I couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks, Dani." He smiled as I was standing up from the table. I nodded and went to my locker to get changed.

After getting changed, I waved bye to everyone and very cautiously made my way to Bosco's car. As far as I could tell, no one was around. So I climbed into the passengers seat of his car, and locked all the doors behind me. As I waiting, I was constantly looking around outside to see if anybody was around. I couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching me; but I knew Bosco would be here soon. That made me feel a bit better.

Trying to keep myself distracted, I tried thinking about my new partner. Alex, he said her name was? I was pretty excited to be paring up with a girl, but for all I knew she could be the biggest bitch in the world. Ugh, that's really the last thing I needed. To add more to my stress, a new bitchy partner.

Wow, I really needed to calm down. I had never even met her before! I had never heard any stories about her or anything. She was probably the nicest person in the world, right? I'd hope so. I was quickly drawn out of my thoughts when I heard footsteps outside of the car. Oh God, no. My breathing sped up as I frantically looked around, but saw nothing. I didn't hear anything anymore either. This is really starting to feel surreal. Like I'm trapped in some crazy, terrifying horror movie. I wasn't completely sure if those sounds were in my head, or really happening... but I was relieved when finally I saw Bosco and Faith walk out of the station. Thank God!

It looked like they were both walking towards the car, I ducked when I saw her walk right next to it. I could hear them talking, but couldn't understand what they were saying. I peeked up to see her open the trunk of the car next to Bosco's, apparently her car. She put her bag in, and then shut the trunk. I heard her say bye to Bosco, and then he was walking towards the driver side door. I quickly reached over to unlock it and then ducked back down so Faith wouldn't see me. He quickly got in the car and shut the door behind him, but I was still ducking down.

"She's gone..." He chuckled at me, throwing his bag into the back seat. I heard her drive away so I rose back up and saw him smiling at me. I sighed as I straightened up and buckled my seat belt. "Do we really need to do this everyday?" He giggled, as he started the engine.

I sighed. "Yes." I replied, but he shook his head. I was the one more against people finding out about us than he was. He didn't really mind people knowing that we were 'official'.

"Do you want to go get some coffee or anything?" He offered.

I shook my head. "Nah... I just kinda want to go home. I've got a bit of a headache."

"I wonder why..." He mumbled. I rose an eyebrow at him. "Besides _everything _going on... The explosion was loud enough, plus you smacked your head pretty hard against the concrete. I'm surprised you don't have a bump on your head."

I rolled my eyes. I was hoping he wouldn't bring that up again. "I actually think I do..." I whispered, rubbing the side of my head.

It was quiet for a few minutes, and I watched the lights of the city as we drove. Finally he spoke. "Why did you do that?" He asked. I stayed quiet. "Dani... why did you go into the car when you knew it was going to explode?"

"Because there was a man in there." I answered simply.

"Yeah, a drunk man who nearly killed a mother and her baby in that other car!" He yelled.

For crying out loud... can't we get through one night without arguing?

"Bos, drunk or not, that man still has family at home. A wife, maybe?"

He shook his head at my response, and looked ahead as he drove. "Promise me something, please?"

"What?"

"Never do that to me again. I'm serious. You really scared me." He said quietly.

I didn't say anything...Now I felt pretty bad. "I know. I'm...sorry." I managed to choke out.

"I want you to be safe... and with everything going on..." He mumbled. I rose an eyebrow at him again. "I got you something." He stated. What? He got me something? Suddenly I felt nervous again. "Grab my bag out of the back and open the front pocket..." I carefully lifted his bag up and opened the front pocket; when I did, I couldn't believe it when I wrapped my hand around the barrel to pull it out. In my hands, I held this silver, shiny, brand-new gun. "It's a Walther PPK/S. I want you to keep this in your purse until we know for sure you'll be safe without it. It's fully registered to me, and it's fully loaded. I'm going to take you to a shooting range this weekend to practice shooting and learn basic safety."

My eyes were bug like as I flipped this thing around in my hands, just looking at it. Was he serious? It looks almost identical to his off-duty gun. "Uh... Bosco.."

"I know, I know... I'm probably 'overreacting'. But I'm serious about this... I want you to be safe when I'm not around."

I couldn't believe he was taking it this far. Couldn't he be like any other boyfriend and just get me pepper-spray? But, I had to admit that it gave me a little piece of mind. I finally nodded and slowly slid it into my purse. "How long do you want me to carry this?"

"Mainly until we get this douche bag behind bars... after that, I want you to keep it in your night stand by your bed."

The way he ordered me around would normally piss me off, especially if anybody else were saying it, but I actually liked it. He was only doing what was best for me... I knew he really cared, so there was no use in arguing.

We pulled up to the apartments, and started walking inside. "Do you want me to come over?" He asked. We were inside the lobby now, but nobody was around. It was a little dark, only a dim light hanging overhead.

I smiled and nodded. He smiled back. "Alright, but I'm gonna run up to my apartment really fast and shower." He said, grabbing my hands.

"Or..." I bit my lip, moving a little closer to him. "_We _can go to my place and shower..." I whispered as stood on my tip toes to kiss him. I could feel him smiling as we continued. He was giggling as we backed up into the elevator.

"Well, I like the sound of that..." He mumbled as I was still kissing him. I pulled away to see him smiling at me, I pressed the button to my floor and he kissed me again. "I'm just gonna go get a change of clothes and a few other things. I'll meet you up there." He said, kissing me one more time.

"Okay..." I whispered. The doors opened just then and I got out. He stayed in the elevator to go back down to his apartment. I smiled at him as the doors shut.

Absentmindedly I walked towards my apartment, fiddling with the keys to open my door. Once I did, I knew something was wrong. The door was actually unlocked, when I could have _sworn _I had locked it. All the lights were off, when I knew I had left the kitchen light on when I left. That's when I heard something move in the corner near the window. I knew then that I wasn't alone.

Someone was in my house. It wasn't Bosco, because I had just seen him five seconds ago in the elevator. But nobody else had access to my apartment. I contemplated screaming, and running back to find Bosco; but then remembered something he just gave me. Something for situations like this. It was brand new... Never been fired. I had never even shot a gun before, let alone find the courage to even hold one; but I slowly pulled it out of my purse and aimed it towards the back corner where I heard the person moving... My hands shook as I prepared to pull the trigger.


	12. Forever

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Don't you just love those nights when you're trying to sleep, and then randomly you get ideas for a story you're working on/going to write? Yeah, I had one last night**__**! I love them. Lol. Tell me what you think! :)**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: Flutiegal and Rubadubdubbs**_

**Chapter 12**

My heart was pounding, and my hands were shaking. I slowly reached over to flip on the lights and prepared to shoot at the person standing in front of me.

"SURPRISE!" She yelled just as I flicked the lights on, jumping towards me. I almost screamed.

"Oh my God!" I yelled, realizing who it was. "Ashley!" I quickly lowered my gun. "What are you doing here?! I almost shot you!" I yelled at her, not amused at all.

"Whoa! Girly, when did you get a gun?!" She was almost smiling. Wow, I didn't know almost getting shot by your best friend was so funny.

"That doesn't matter. What are you doing here?!" I said a little more calmly, putting the gun back in my purse.

"I came to surprise my best friend!" She exclaimed.

"Well, I sure am surprised." I said, still trying to catch my breath.

"What, you're not excited to see me?" She pouted.

"Of course I am. You don't know how much I missed you. You just scared the hell out of me!" I sighed, and walked over to her and gave her a hug.

She hugged me back tightly, exactly what I needed. "Mmm, you smell good." She said, giggling. I smelled the sleeve of my sweatshirt to realize it smelled like Bosco. That made me happy.

"How did you get in here?" I asked her, still confused.

"Oh that was easy. I asked your superintendent if he could let me in. Once I told him who I was, he was more than happy to let me in. He said you've mentioned me before." She beamed, but my eyes narrowed. I really gotta talk to him about this... "So catch me up!" She started, towing me towards the couch. We both plopped down and put our feet up. "What have I missed since you moved here?! Besides you owning a gun of all things now?" She rose an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes. "A lot more than you can possibly imagine..." I replied. "I've got SO much to tell you!"

Just then, the door opened and Bosco walked in, wearing only jeans and an unbuttoned shirt. "Hey babe, I brought some coffee so we - " He stopped when he realized we weren't alone.

Ashley was staring at him for what seemed an eternity, and then looked back at me. "Uh, yeah. I think that's an understatement."

"Should I have brought extra coffee?" Bosco asked. Suddenly my head was spinning again.

–

Once I introduced Bosco and Ashley, he went into my bedroom to watch TV so Ashley and I could talk. I couldn't help but wonder how he was feeling, since I had introduced him as my... boyfriend. I couldn't tell Ashley he was just my 'friend'. First, she wouldn't believe me. And even if she did, I couldn't lie to her. I would cave and tell her anyways.

"What the hell is going on!?" She said as quietly as possible, which for Ashley, wasn't quiet at all.

"Shh!" I whispered. "I know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you..."

"Tell me what? That you're dating the most gorgeous cop in New York City?!" She was nearly drooling while I introduced them two. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes. That." I giggled. "But things have been so crazy. Like, you don't even know, Ash..." I said shaking my head.

"Like you not only dating... _him_." She smiled. "But you also having a gun? _You_, have a gun?" She started laughing. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

She was never going to get off about the damn gun was she? I shook my head, knowing she wouldn't. "Bosco gave it to me today."

"Of course. The cop gave you the gun! That makes sense..." She giggled. "But why?"

"That's the thing, Ash... we think that..." I took a deep breath. "Marcus White..." I whispered.

"Who?"

"My rapist."

Her eyes grew wide. "You found out his name?"

"Yeah, Bosco looked it up."

"Well, what about him?" She asked, now completely serious.

"We think he's stalking me..." I whispered.

"Ha," She huffed, almost smiling. "Your not serious..." She said calmly, glancing around the room. When I stayed quiet, her eyes started to grow wide. "Oh my God, you are serious!" She yelled, scooting a little closer to me. "How do you know?" She said a little more quietly.

"Because... I saw him a few weeks ago while Bosco and I were walking around downtown. It was just a glimpse; but enough for me to know it was him." I told her. I then continued to explain everything that had happened the past few weeks, only feeling a small pinch in my abdomen. It was amazing how I could tell anything to Ashley without even thinking about it. She was the best friend I had ever had. We had known each other since the sixth grade. Now she was a cosmetologist, with long, bouncy blonde hair; which as of now was pulled into a high messy bun at the top of her head. Her makeup was always done perfectly. She wasn't obsessed about her looks, or conceited at all. She just loved makeup. Her passion for it wore off on me by high-school, and I fell in love with it too. But, I had always been the more sporty one out of the two of us. Just a little concealer, and mascara (maybe a bit of eyeliner depending on my mood).

I could remember all the nights we spent at each others houses (mainly me at hers, for obvious reasons). I was pretty much a doll that she used to practice her makeup skills on. She also cut my hair more times then I can count. She grew up much differently than I did, though. While my mom was in and out of marriages, basically raising me by herself on a tight budget, living in a small apartment - Ashley's parents were both doctors. They had a gorgeous house, they never split up, and gave Ashley everything she could ever ask for. You could pretty much say the only problems Ashley ever had with her parents were when they were being too strict, and when they eventually found out she wanted to be a cosmetologist. Besides that, they were like her best friends.

We continued talking for what only seemed to be a little while, but I realized it was much later when Bosco's head popped out of the room to see if we were still talking. It looked like he was half asleep. I grinned at him when I noticed he was there, and he grinned back. He didn't say anything, but I could tell he was exhausted, and suddenly I felt exhausted too. I missed talking with my best friend, and I could continue to for hours upon hours. But unfortunately, I knew I had to sleep.

"What time is it?" I asked Bosco, and he replied in a low, scratchy voice.

"Three fifteen." He yawned.

Holy shit, it was late - or early, I should say. "Aww, man." Ashley pouted. "I knew I was starting to get tired. But damn, time passes by fast!"

I nodded in agreement. "Let me get you a blanket and a pillow... "

"No, it's fine... I'll find a hotel." She yawned, standing up. I rolled my eyes.

"You're staying here..." I said sternly. In some ways it felt like she was my baby sister. She was only six months younger than me, but it felt like much more.

"Fine." She gave up easily. I turned around to go get a spare blanket and pillow I had in the cupboard, but Bosco had already pulled them out. I smiled at him and mouthed the word 'Thanks'. He smiled at me, and went to lay them out on the couch for her. "Thanks, Bosco." She smiled at him, still nearly drooling. I glared at her.

"No problem." He nodded at her, "Would you like a glass of water or anything?" He offered. I smiled at how sweet he was being. She shook her head no, and lay down. Bosco said goodnight and headed back into the bedroom. As soon as he shut the door, Ashley smiled at me and shook her head.

"What?" I asked, laying one more blanket on top of her.

"He seems like an amazing guy..." She whispered.

I smiled. "You'd be surprised, but he was a jackass when I met him."

"Huh. Doesn't seem like it..." She replied, yawning. "If he was such a jackass why did you go out with him?"

"Because..." I thought about it for a minute. "I could tell that it was a mask. I knew he wasn't really like that on the inside..." I told her quietly, and she smiled. I tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. It really did feel like she was my baby sister, and I was telling her a bed-time story. "Not to mention, it's pretty hard to say no once he turns on that charm." She giggled, and pulled the blankets up to her shoulders. "Goodnight, Ash." I said, giving her a quick peck on her forehead.

"G'night..." She mumbled, and then I could already hear her snoring. I giggled to myself, walking around the apartment making sure every door and window was locked, and turned the lights off behind me. It was already dark as I walked into the bedroom, but I knew he was awake. It was silent, though. I walked around the room to make sure the window was locked, and then closed the curtains. I made my way into the bathroom and changed into one of my extra large t-shirts, and crawled into bed. Bosco pulled me close to him, and I lay my head on his chest.

"Mmm, you showered without me." I whispered, closing my eyes. He smelled fresh and clean.

"Yeah, I thought you would prefer to talk to her for a little while." He said in a low tone, very calm.

I shrugged. "That's debatable..." I whispered, as I sat up the slightest bit to kiss his neck, slowly moving up to his chin, and then his lips, then back down to his chest. I could hear him giggling.

"Get some sleep..." He whispered, kissing my forehead. He didn't have to tell me twice. He pulled me the slightest bit closer, and I drifted off to sleep even quicker than I had the night before...

_'Ashley! Watch this!' I yelled to my best friend as I jumped into the swimming pool. It was the summer of 1991. Ash and I were both twelve years old. _

_'That was lame! Watch this one!' She yelled to me just after I came up from under the water. She jumped in right next to me, completely splashing me in the face from her cannon ball. _

_'Ashley!' I yelled at her. She laughed, as she climbed back out of the pool, and I followed. We went and grabbed our towels off of the chairs a few feet away. It was Ashley's parents' pool in their backyard, complete with a water slide. Everything my mom had ever dreamed of, but never came close to having._

_The radio was blaring from a few yards away, as we heard a brand new song by a teen boy band. We had never heard it before, which was uncommon for us. Of course it was all about love. 'I can't wait until we both get boyfriends and fall in love! Won't it be amazing?" She spoke in awe. Her blonde hair was waving the slightest bit from the water, as mine was probably curling up in it's yucky frizzy fashion._

_I nodded, thinking about how it would be. "When I fall in love, he will be the most amazing guy in the world. He will take care of me, and wouldn't ever hurt me. He will be cute, of course." I giggled. _

_'No way! I'M going to have the most amazing guy in the world! He will be just like that too. But, he has to like my makeup too.' She smiled. Of course... Ashley and her makeup. _

_'How about this... We will both find the two most amazing guys in the world, and fall in love with them. And then, we can have two big weddings in the same weekend, and be each others brides maids!' I beamed with my brilliant idea._

_Ashley jumped up in excitement. 'I can't wait!' She said ecstatic, grabbing my arms as we jumped up and down together. 'Friends forever?' She asked, serious now._

_'Forever.' I promised, hugging her._


	13. Admit It

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Alrighty my fellow readers, I'm gonna try doing it from a 3**__**rd**__** person pov for a little while and see how it comes out. Let me know which you prefer. :)**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!!: Flutiegal and Rubadubdubbs.**_

**Chapter 13**

***Third person P.O.V.***

Bosco lay awake watching Dani smile in her sleep. He couldn't believe how peaceful she looked while she slept, but how stressed out she really was in reality. His heart hurt for her, because he didn't know what else he could do besides protect her with everything he had. When he finally fell asleep, and started to dream, it was all about her. Just like every dream he had since he met her.

Shortly after, they both were suddenly woken up in a split second, when they heard a woman scream. Dani gasped, sitting up quickly. She thought she had been dreaming the screams at first, but quickly realized it really happened; because Bosco jumped up at the exact time she did. "Oh my God, Ashley!" Dani said, realizing it had been her. She quickly kicked the blankets off of her legs, and stumbled out of bed.

"Dani, no!" Bosco ordered quietly, jumping out of bed. "Stay here." He ordered, holding his hand up. He quickly grabbed his off-duty gun, which apparently he put under a pillow, and went out into the living room. Dani stood in the center of the room, breathing heavily. What was going on? After only a few seconds, she couldn't take it anymore. She ran out into the living room and found Bosco looking out of the window, and down the fire escape; holding his gun to the side. Ashley was leaning against the wall, shaking. She had definitely been spooked by something.

Dani quickly went over to Ashley and wrapped her arms around her. "What happened?" Dani asked as calmly as she could, running her hands through her hair. Bosco opened the window and climbed out onto the fire escape; He pointed his gun downward, and then back up - just to make sure the person wasn't above him; but there was no sign of anyone. The street below was completely empty in the dark, early hours of the morning. Whoever it was, was long gone. He slowly slid back in through the window, and locked it behind him while Dani continued trying to calm Ashley down. "Ash? Honey, what happened?" She asked again.

"I heard a sound at the window... S-so when I went to see what it was - Th-there was a man looking in..." She stuttered.

Realization slammed into Dani like a semi-truck. No way, it couldn't be...

"What? What man?" Dani asked her, but she just shook her head. "Ashley, what man?!" She demanded, trying not to panic.

"It was him." Bosco said quietly as he walked over towards them, gun still in hand.

Ignoring Bosco, Dani yelled. "Ashley, what did he look like?!"

She took a deep breath. "He had blonde hair... It looked pretty long for a guy." She said, stuttering on almost every word. "He had a goatee too..."

Dani's stomach dropped, and she knew Bosco was right. It was him.

–

Forty-five minutes later, Bosco sat on the couch, Dani leaning against his arm. Ashley sat on the opposite side of the couch, with her arms wrapped around her knees. They sat quietly, just thinking about what had happened. No one had spoken in almost twenty minutes. It was now nearly five-thirty in the morning.

"Can't you call the police? Do something?" Ashley asked Bosco nervously, knowing her question was pointless. Bosco _was_ the police, as Dani had pointed out to her earlier.

"There's no point..." He responded quietly. "If I did, they would never find him. It's five in the morning; and he's probably long gone by now."

Ashley sighed, pulling the pillow over to eyes to block out the brightness of the lights that were on. Dani sat motionless nearly the whole time since they had sat down. Bosco couldn't even tell if she was really sleeping with her eyes open. He realized they had six hours before they had to wake up for work, and that they all should try and sleep. "Dani..." He whispered into her ear, "Lets go back to bed."

"No." She simply replied; it was the first time she had spoken in almost an hour now.

"C'mon, it's really late. You need to try to sleep." He responded quietly as he placed a hand on her back. Dani shook her head, and looked over to Ashley.

"I'm not leaving her out here alone."

Bosco was about to protest, but Ashley spoke before he could. "Dani, go to bed. That creeper isn't coming back tonight. He probably saw Bosco's gun and headed for the hills. I'd be surprised if he ever came back after that."

Bosco nodded. "Dani, she's right." He whispered to her, trying to sound convincing. Dani sighed, agreeing only because she knew she wasn't going to win this argument. It wasn't fair, it was like Ashley and Bosco were tag-teaming against her; two against one. She huffed and made her way back into her bedroom. Bosco shook his head, trying to make himself laugh; but he couldn't. "Thanks, Ashley. I'll close all the blinds for you..." He offered; standing up to close them.

"Thank you, Bosco." She smiled, laying back down. He nodded, starting to walk back into the bedroom. "Hey Bosco?" She asked, and he turned around to look at her. "If he comes back..." She started. He sighed, and walked back over to her.

"Ashley, the thing is, you're scream is probably what scared him away...not me." He started. "If he has been stalking her, then he knows that I'm with her. He knows that I'm a cop. If he makes any move, he will wait until I'm not around. That's why he took off when he heard you scream, because he knew I would have woken up. So if you hear anything, or think he _might_ be outside the window again, don't go over to it. Just come and get me." He said sternly. She nodded in agreement., and he turned to walk back into the room.

"Bosco?" Ashley asked one more time, and he turned back around. "Thanks... "

"For what?" He asked, confused.

"Protecting her." She simply replied. "She's been through a lot. I just don't think I can stand seeing her get hurt again... and no one has ever stood up for her, or protected her like you do. I know you wont hurt her." Ashley smiled, very thankful.

Bosco returned the smile, and nodded once. "Your right... I could never hurt her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did." He said quietly. She smiled, and he went off to bed.

–

The next morning, Bosco woke up pretty early. His eyes were burning, desperate for more sleep. It took him almost another hour to finally get Dani to fall asleep after they had gone back to bed. He groaned, rolling over. He let his arm fall gently on the opposite side of the bed, expecting it to land on Dani's back, or stomach. His eyes shot open when all he felt was the sheet. He quickly sat up, realizing she wasn't there.

He had thought for a minute that maybe she had woken up early to shower; but he knew he was wrong when he realized the shower wasn't on. Cautiously, he slowly rose out of bed and stumbled to the bedroom door. "Dani?" He said quietly, hoping for a response. His stomach dropped when no one replied. He continued to walk through the apartment looking for her, but couldn't stop himself from having negative thoughts when he realized she wasn't there. He took a deep breath, calming himself down._ Geez Boz, calm down._ He told himself. _She's fine._

He wished he could believe what he was telling himself, but he couldn't. That's when he realized that Ashley wasn't there either. He walked over to the window, and opened the curtain. It was extremely bright outside; a few people walking around just like any other day. Everything seemed in place; but something in his stomach told him that today wasn't going to be very good. _Please let her be okay..._ He thought to himself, trying not to panic. His silent prayer was answered when the door opened.

"Oh hey, you're up..." Dani said, as she quickly came in the door; shutting and locking it behind her. Bosco's head snapped up and instantly felt relieved seeing her. He quickly ran across the room and hugged her.

"You alright?" He said quietly into her ear.

"I'm fine... What's up with you?" She forced a smile; trying to make the situation seem like it was no big deal.

"I..." He started, not sure how to word what he was thinking. "I just woke up, and you weren't there... It just made me nervous because I didn't know where you were." She nodded, giggling at him. "Ugh, that sounded bad. Look - I don't want to be that controlling boyfriend who wants to know where you are all the time..." He spoke quickly, "I just want to know that you're safe."

She couldn't help but smile. "I know. It's alright... I was just driving Ashley to the bus-stop. She's heading back to her boyfriends' parents house." Dani said, rolling her eyes. "They live in Jersey City."

"I see," Bosco nodded. "So Ashley's gone for now?" He asked, almost disappointed.

Dani nodded; stuck her bottom lip out. Bosco couldn't help but giggle at her. "For now... She said she's going to try to visit every month or so..." She shrugged, obviously sad. Bosco pulled her close to him, and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry, baby." He whispered to her. "She's really an awesome person. I can see why you're best friends."

"Ya, me too..." She whispered back.

A short, but much needed visit by Ashley was already over, and Dani couldn't believe how fast she had come and gone. Only a few more weeks till she would see her, right? She hoped so anyways.

The rest of the day passed by pretty slowly. There had been only a few calls; which seemed to unease Dani. It seemed like every time there were hardly any calls the first part of her shift, there always seemed to be a drastic call near the end. She had a bad feeling about today. As her and her new partner, Alex, drove a 43-year old man to the hospital (he broke his ankle playing hockey), she thought to herself. She sat in the back of the bus with the patient, as Alex drove.

Alex seemed to be pretty quiet; but confident in herself. Dani seemed to enjoy that factor right about now. She really didn't feel like talking. The day just kept winding on and on, which made Dani want to see Bosco more and more. They arrived to the hospital and took the man in. As soon as they were clear, they got another call. Only this time, it was Dani's worst fear; Something big was happening.

"C_onstruction building collapse at Ave. 30 and Lexington. All available EMS and Fire to scene._"

"Boy 55-3 responding." Alex repeated back into the radio.

"Crap." Was all Dani could say. She definitely wasn't as energetic today as she had been yesterday. Alex drove them to the scene; and as they arrived, it was worse than what she originally thought. They were the first ones on scene, quickly followed by Kim and Bobby. Four men were running out of the building, two of them were bleeding from their heads. There was dust flying everywhere, small pieces of concrete tumbling off the roof. "How many more are inside?" Dani asked the men.

"There's at least five more in there." He coughed, choking on dust. Without thinking twice, both Dani and Alex strapped their helmets on, and ran inside.

At that moment, Dani realized her and Alex had a lot in common. They both knew that they shouldn't enter the building until the fire department got there, because it was unsafe. But neither of them could care less. There were people in there that needed help.

"Dani, don't go in -" Dani heard Kim yell from behind them as they ran in, but kept running. "Damn it, Dani." Kim muttered to herself, helping one of the men who had already come out. Bobby got his helmet on, prepared to enter when fire got there and cleared them to enter. Not twenty seconds later, the fire department pulled up, followed by Sully and Ty, Doc and Carlos, and right behind them were Bosco and Faith.

As the Lieutenant spoke with the man who had first come out of the building; he had told them that the building was under construction and that one of the pillars inside had collapsed, which was causing the rest of the building to crumble. As Jimmy, DK, Joe, and the rest of the guys got their gear on, Sully and Ty tried to get the crowd under control.

"Bosco can you help please?!" Sully yelled at him. Bosco and Sully hadn't exactly been best friends.

"Don't get you're panties in a wad, Sullivan. I'll be there in a minute." Bosco replied calmly, as he walked over to the two ambulance's that were parked next to each other. Just then, a big block of concrete came tumbling down off the side of the building. He realized Dani and her new partner weren't anywhere in sight, and realized exactly where she would be. "Damn it." He yelled, mainly to himself. He went over to Kim, who was currently aiding a man who had split his head open pretty badly. "Where the hell is Dani?" He asked rudely. Kim rolled her eyes.

"Her and Alex ran into the building." She said, continuing to help the man.

"Shit." Bosco replied, and turned around; heading towards the building.

"Bosco, wait." Faith yelled from behind him, but he didn't stop. "Bosco! You can't go in there!" She yelled, now running to catch up to him.

He was finally cut off by the Lieutenant. "I'm sorry but I can't let you in there."

"Get out of my damn way, I'm goin' in." He replied, trying to push past him. The Lieu held his hands out, and pushed him back. "Let go of me! I'm goin' in!" Bosco yelled.

"Boz, c'mon. Let them work!" Faith yelled at him, pulling at his arm.

"Boscorelli, get back out on the street. We've got all our men in there, and we're doing the best we can." He explained to Bosco. "Now get the hell back out on the street." He demanded.

Faith pulled at Bosco's arm, and finally got him to turn back around. "God damn it!" He yelled, kicking a near by trash can.

"Geez Boz, why are you actin' like this?" Faith asked, trying to make sense of it. "If it were any other girl you could care less if she were in there or not." Bosco put his hands on his hips, and shook his head. He couldn't think of anything to say at that moment, because he knew his partner was right. Faith's eyes lit up, and suddenly her lips started twitching; threatening to become a smile. "Oh my God...You love her." She smiled. "It all makes sense now. Everything you've been doing for her the past few weeks... The way you look at her... Protect her..." For Faith, everything had just clicked into place. "Is she your girlfriend?" She grinned.

Bosco didn't respond, which made Faith smile even more. He turned around, and threw his arms up in the air., letting his hands land on his head. He paced back in forth, hands still on his head, watching the building slowly crumble before his eyes. Faith couldn't stop staring at the panicked look on his face. She knew Bosco had a lot of girlfriends in his past, but she never, ever, saw him look or talk about a girl the way he did about Dani.

A few minutes later, four firemen came out of the building, each helping a man walk out. "Alright, it's unstable but we have two guys in there that need medical help. I need paramedics in there!" Jimmy yelled, setting one of the guys down on the ground. Doc, Carlos, and Bobby ran inside while Kim stayed to help the guys that were already out of the building. Bosco watched, growing more and more concerned with every second that passed, and every piece of concrete that fell off the building.

"Bosco, get you're ass over here!" Sully yelled at him, as he and Ty were now trying to direct traffic. Faith had started putting up a police line, and was trying to keep the crowd back by herself. "Your partner needs help! " He yelled.

Bosco groaned, watching the building as he backed up, and finally turned around to help Faith. There had been slabs of concrete falling everywhere, and everyone knew there wasn't much time left before the whole building came down. It had been about ten more minutes before Doc and Carlos appeared, carrying a man out on a stretcher. Next was Alex and Bobby carrying a man out. Bosco's stomach dropped when he saw that Dani wasn't with her partner. Just then, Carlos, Doc and Dani were running out of the building, carrying a man on a stretcher as well. This man seemed to be in greater need of help then anyone else who had come out of the building.

A few seconds later, the rest of the firemen ran out of the building; just in time. The whole thing came crumbling down as everyone ran. It only took a matter of seconds before it was over. Bosco was standing across the street, helping Faith control the crowd; but he couldn't help but watch Dani to make sure she was alright. She helped Doc and Carlos load the man into the bus, and Bosco saw a red substance running down the side of her face. Carlos ran around the bus and got into the drivers seat, as Doc climbed into the back of the bus with the patient. He couldn't hear anything, but Bosco could see that Dani was arguing with Doc about something. She caved, and jumped into the back of the bus too, and they sped away.

"Damn it." Bosco said, instantly knowing why she was arguing with Doc. He was trying to get her to go to the hospital.

"What?" Faith asked him, the crowd under control now.

"We gotta go." He muttered, and started walking to the RMP.

"We can't just leave, Boz!" She yelled after him, but he got into the RMP and started the engine. Faith then called over another Officer to take over for them. She grumbled to herself as she got into the passengers side of the car. Without a word, Bosco flipped on the sirens and they were speeding away. "Where are we going?" Faith asked, obviously annoyed with her partner. When Bosco didn't reply, she knew it had to be about Dani. She sighed, as they pulled up to the hospital a few moments later.

By the time Bosco entered the hospital, Dani was already in one of the trauma rooms, waiting for a doctor. He quickly found her, and when he did a nurse was applying pressure to a wound on her forehead. Dani saw Bosco come flying into the room, and she bit her lip, knowing she was in trouble.

Bosco saw her and took a deep breath. It didn't appear to be as bad as he thought it was; just a small gash. "Dani..." He muttered, shaking his head. He put a hand on his head, rubbing his temples. Faith walked in, looking at Dani, and then back to Bosco. She could tell he was upset with her.

"Wow, look at you!" Faith smiled at Dani, walking over to her. "Good job out there today." She told her. Dani smiled, about to respond when Bosco started yelling. The nurse jumped.

"Good job? Good JOB?! Faith she could have been killed!" He yelled, pissed off now. Dani bit her lip, and looked over to Faith.

"Boz, chill out. She's fine." She giggled, patting Dani on the back as the nurse wiped away some of the blood on her face. Bosco shook his head in anger, putting his hands on his hips. His face was bright red. The doctor finally walked in, and looked around the room.

"Sorry, but unless you're taking a report, I need you two to leave." He said, and Faith stood up.

"We were just leaving..." She smiled at the doctor, and went to walk out of the room. Bosco pushed past her and went to sit down next to Dani. He was still mad, but starting to calm down.

"Are you her boyfriend?" The doctor asked, starting to look at Dani's wound.

It was quiet for a minute, Dani rose an eyebrow at him while he contemplated saying anything. She winced when the doctor ran a finger over her gash. Faith rose an eyebrow, waiting for someone to reply. "Yes." He responded, grabbing her hand. He looked back to Dani, who wasn't sure what to say. She winced as the doctor gave her a shot of Novocaine, and began to stitch up her wound. Faith smiled, completely satisfied that Bosco to admitted it, and walked away.


	14. Savin' Me

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: Let me know what you think**__**! Lyrics are "Savin' Me" by Nickelback.**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!: Flutigal **_

**Chapter 14**

"_Heaven's gates won't open up for me, _

_with these broken wings I'm fallin' and all I see is you. _

_These city walls ain't got no love for me,_

_I'm on the ledge of the eighteenth story and oh I scream for you. _

_Come please, I'm callin'._

_And all I need from you..._

_Hurry, I'm fallin', I'm fallin'..._

_Show me what it's like, to be the last one standing, _

_and teach me wrong from right-and I'll show you what I can be._

_Say it for me, say it to me, and I'll leave this life behind me._

_Say it if it's worth Savin' me..."_

It had been nearly two hours since they had all gotten to the hospital. Dani received her stitches, and was sentenced to sit in the waiting room until the clerk at the front had time to get all of her paperwork together. Doc forced Dani to take the rest of the night off, which as you could imagine, she wasn't too thrilled about. Alex ended up riding solo the rest of the night, and had already left the hospital on another call. Dani continued to sit in the waiting room for her release papers, with Bosco at her side. He still hadn't cleared himself and Faith to be back out on the streets. Dani could feel his eyes on her, and she knew she was in trouble still. He had hardly said anything to her since they got there.

"Bosco, I'm a big girl... I can get myself home." Dani muttered to him, annoyed that he wouldn't go back to work. Faith nodded; she had been extremely annoyed with that fact as well.

"I want to make sure you're safe." He whispered to her, speaking for the first time in over half an hour. Faith rose an eyebrow, not quite understanding what he was talking about.

"What?" She asked quietly, sitting down in the other chair next to Dani.

Bosco shook his head, "Nothing."

"What did you say?" Faith asked, obviously a bit confused as to why he was so worried about Dani's safety the past few days. She knew they were looking for her 'best friends' rapist, but she had no idea it had anything to do with Dani. She thought she was completely safe.

"It was nothing, Faith." He muttered again, starting to get annoyed. Dani sighed, and put her face in her hands.

"Boz, just tell her. She's going to find out eventually." She muttered, still covering her face with her hands.

"Tell me what?" Faith asked, concern growing on her face. Bosco shook his head, like it was nothing. "Bosco, what aren't you tellin' me?"

Bosco groaned, and looked back at Dani. She nodded to him once, assuring him he could tell Faith. He quickly scanned the room, making sure there wasn't anyone around. "It wasn't Dani's best friend that was raped, it was her." He whispered, making eye contact so she knew he was serious.

She gasped. "Oh God, Dani I'm so sorry!" She said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I had no idea..."

"Yeah, you didn't because nobody was supposed to find out." Bosco said rudely. Faith ignored him and turned back to Dani.

"We're doing all we can to find him, sweetie. We'll get him..." She assured her.

"Thanks, Faith." Dani tried to smile, but couldn't. So far, today wasn't going so well. A few moments later Faith announced she was going to get some coffee, leaving Dani and Bosco to themselves. Bosco sat back, crossing his arms and continued to glare at her. Finally the desk clerk walked in with Dani's release papers. She quickly signed them, and was ready to leave – but Bosco wouldn't move. He was pissed, and she knew it.

"Are you mad?" Dani asked him, knowing it was a stupid question the moment she asked it. Bosco rolled his eyes and slowly shook his head, laughing sarcastically. Obviously, that had been a yes. Dani squeezed her fists together in anger, completely irritated. She briefly wondered if he was going to act like this every single time she did something unsafe at work, which she knew would be often. "Bosco, look – it's my job to save these peoples lives." She started, her tone seemed very annoyed.

"Yeah, it's your job to save their lives..." Bosco agreed, pressing his lips into a hard line before speaking again. "But you're supposed to wait until they are in a safe place to work on them!" He nearly yelled. Dani cringed, not prepared for that.

"Don't start yelling at me." She said sternly, getting more and more irritated with him by the second. "You have to realize that I don't really give a shit where they are; if their in a burning house, on a railroad track with a train coming, or in a building that's about to collapse. Bosco, I _have_ to save them." Now she was the one that was almost yelling. "I can't just stand around and wait to help them once it's 'safe'!" She tried to keep her voice low, knowing that there were others walking around. "Because most of the time when we wait for it to be 'safe', it ends up being too late."

Dani stood up and started walking away, but Bosco grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Why do you care so much?" He whispered. "That you would risk _your _life just to save theirs. I know their humans, Dani... It's one thing to care about people and the quality of life, but it's a whole different thing to care _too_ much." He shook his head, speaking in a very low tone.

"I just have to help them." She insisted, turning away from him.

"But why?" He whispered.

"Because I couldn't help myself. That's why." She replied back so quietly Bosco had barely even heard her.

He was taken aback by what she had said, and it took him a minute to connect the dots; and finally he realized what she was saying. "So... you're telling me that since you couldn't help yourself, when everything happened – that you have to help everyone else? Even if it means that you could die because of it?"

She nodded once, and sighed. "I have to, Boz. I can't just stand around and wait for the firefighters, or _cops_ to make it safe. I _have_ to help them right then and there." She insisted, "And I don't care if you get mad at me every single day because I've done something completely insane, but I'm not going to stop helping them just so I stay safe. I'm sorry Bosco, but there's not a damn thing you can do about that either." With that said, she walked away to go find Faith. Bosco watched her walk away in shock. He had no idea what to say to that. He shook his head, knowing she was right. She was going to do it everyday, and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He took a deep breath, and followed her to the coffee machine, where they knew Faith would be.

It was now nine at night, as they drove back to the firehouse so Dani could change out of her work clothes. There was still nearly two hours left in Bosco and Faith's shift. As they drove around, they had explained to Faith what had happened the previous night. How Malcolm (they suspected it to be him anyways), had been looking into her window.

Now that Faith knew everything, neither her or Bosco wanted to take the chance of letting Dani be by herself for even an hour. Which meant they insisted that Dani stayed with them while they patrolled the city streets for the next two hours. After a about twenty minutes of driving around, they pulled the RMP over to get some more coffee. "So, Dani..." Faith started as they exited the coffee shop. "How old were you exactly?" Faith asked cautiously. Bosco glared at her.

"Ugh, Faith..." He mumbled.

Dani winced the slightest bit, and sighed. "I was seventeen." She replied.

"Wow... so it's been what, three years?"

"It'll be four next month. It happened a week after my birthday..." She said quietly. Bosco continued to glare at Faith, irritated that she even had to bring it back up. They stayed quiet for a minute before a man behind them broke the silence.

"Yo, over here!" The man yelled. They all turned around to look at him. He was a short, white guy, wearing baggy clothing. "Man, I've been robbed! Go do something, please?" He yelled at Bosco and Faith.

"What did they take?" Faith asked, pulling out her notepad as they started walking towards the man.

"They stole a bag of chips out of my store, man!" He yelled. Bosco rolled his eyes.

"A bag of chips? Are you kidding me!" He yelled.

"I'm serious! Will you do something?" The guy replied back.

"Alright, alright... what did the guy look like?" Faith asked him, taking notes.

"I don't know..."

"You don't know?" Bosco asked completely annoyed. He couldn't believe this guy. Faith closed her notepad and stuffed it back into her pocket.

"Sorry, Sir. I don't think we can do anything..." She explained. The man started to argue with Faith, but Bosco rolled his eyes and turned around to face Dani. When he did, his whole world froze. She was gone.

His heart stopped, and felt like it took a few seconds before it started back up again. When it did, it was pounding. "Faith," He said, having trouble breathing. She ignored him, still arguing with the man. "Faith!" He said a little more loudly, starting to panic.

"What?" She asked in an annoyed tone, turning back to face him.

His eyes met Faith's, and he tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "She's gone." He tried to say, but it came out as a whisper.

"What do you mean 'she's gone'?" Faith asked, still annoyed.

"Dani..." He started to bring his tone up. "She's gone!" He yelled at her, and ran back into the coffee shop to see if she was in there. After not even two seconds he was back out, his eyes darting in every direction. "DANI?" He yelled, but no one replied; they only looked at him like he was going crazy.

"Boz," Faith said, grabbing his arm. "Boz, calm down. We'll find her." She said in a serious tone. Bosco couldn't think. She was standing right next to him one second, and next thing he knew, she was gone. He could hardly breathe, and he couldn't think. All he could feel was a fire burning in his stomach, and he knew if he didn't do something fast, it would be too late.

–

**Dani's P.O.V.**

I couldn't figure out what was going on. It was happening to fast. One second I was standing next to Bosco, and some weird guy came up and started yelling about how someone stole a bag of chips. Next thing I know, everything is black. I could feel the ground below me moving, but I wasn't moving my legs. I tried to scream, but when I did it was muffled. Suddenly, it all became clear when something fell off around my eyes, a towel maybe? All of the lights from the city were gone, and it was dark. Not too dark, because there were a few street lights, but dark enough that I couldn't tell where I was. The ground was still moving, and that was when I realized I wasn't by myself. Someone was dragging me.

I started to kick, trying to free myself, but the harder I fought; the more he fought back. Faster than I could blink, I was being thrown against the hood of an old, rusty car. Things started to fall into place as I turned around, only to see what I had been having night mares of for the past four years. It was Malcolm. At first I thought I was dreaming again, but I knew I wasn't because I could feel a sharp pain right on the side of my head. The wound I had gotten only a few hours ago had been ripped open again.

I screamed, and tried to run, but he caught onto my arms and pulled me back. He threw me onto the pavement, and I felt holes rip not only into my jeans, but my knee's and hands. They stung as my skin scraped against the ground. "Well well well," He began. His voice was just as terrifying as it had been four years ago. "Surprised to see me?" He grinned, grabbing me by my hair and pulling me closer to him. He smelled awful. A mixture of beer, body odor and cigarette smoke. I tried to get the momentum, and kicked as hard as I could; right between his legs. He dropped to the ground, and I ran. He caught my ankle though, and I tripped. He huffed trying to catch his breath, as I remembered something. I quickly unbuckled the button on my purse, which was still draped across my body, and pulled it out. I got ready to pull the trigger, but before I could, he knocked the gun out of my hands. Before I could even blink, he slapped me across the face. The force of the slap knocked me to the ground, and I could taste the fresh blood dripping inside of my mouth. My breathing was suddenly interrupted when he kicked me in the stomach, and I could have sworn I heard a crack. I took as deep a breath as I could, and let it out.

"BOSCO!" I screamed as loud as I could. Malcolm had an evil smile on his face, noticing the gun on the ground a few feet from me. I dove to it, and got my fingers around the barrel; but he stomped as hard as he could on my hand. I let out a screech in pain, quickly pulling my hand to my stomach. It was broken, I knew it. Malcolm picked up the gun, and slowly walked over to me. I tried to sit up, but it was hard to breathe.

"Scream one more time... I dare you." He had that evil grin on still, and continued to walk closer and closer as I tried to crawl backwards. As I tried to pull myself up against the hood of the car, he back handed me across the face once more. I dropped back to the ground, and spat out a mouth full of blood. I was shaking, battered, broken and bruised – I could hardly breath, feeling the pain in my hand and abdomen, and tasting the blood drip out of my mouth. My lip must have been split open now too; but he didn't care. He grabbed my hair, and pushed me back up against the car, putting the barrel of the gun against my temple. "You _will_ do as I say," He began. "Or I _will_ kill you." He told me. I still prepared my self to scream again; I didn't care, I'd take that risk of him killing me. Him killing me would be far better then having to go through being raped again. I took a deep breath, and prepared to scream. "And I'll kill you're little cop-boyfriend too." He said before I could let the scream out. As soon as he mentioned Bosco, I froze. If I had to put my life on the line in order to get away from Malcolm, I would do it in a heartbeat. But there was no way in hell I would put Bosco's life on the line. I would suffer through this a million times over before I would ever even risk Bosco getting hurt. I made sure to stay still, not wanting to risk it. He slowly moved his hands down to my pants, and unbuckled them. I finally began crying, not able to control the sobs anymore.

"Please..." I whispered, pleading with him. "Don't do this..."

"Aww, you seem scared." He said, "Don't worry... I'll take _really _good care of you." He whispered into my ear, as he started to unbutton my pants, and slowly slid the zipper down. I couldn't help but continue to sob. I didn't know what else to do. With one hand, he started to pull my pants down. With the other, he still held the gun to my head, ready to shoot.

"PUT THE GUN DOWN!" I heard Bosco scream out of no where. My head snapped up, seeing him slowly walk down the alley way, pointing his gun directly towards Malcolm. Faith was right behind him, holding her gun as well.

Malcolm began to laugh, and all I couldn't think about anything except Bosco. I tried to inch away from Malcolm, but he wrapped his hand around my arm and dug his fingernails into my skin. Bosco inched closer and closer with each passing second. "Well, isn't this just _great_!" He yelled. "The cops are here!" He said, and suddenly he pulled me to him, wrapping his arm around my neck, keeping the gun at my head with his other hand.

"PUT THE GUN DOWN, NOW!" Bosco yelled one more time, but Malcolm kept laughing.

"You think you're so tough? Huh? Officer Boscorelli.." He laughed as he spoke his name. "I know you're her boyfriend and everything, but really? Put the gun down and stop trying to play super hero."

My heart sank, and suddenly I knew that this monster really had been stalking not only me, but Bosco too. "I'm not kidding, jagoff, put the damn gun down!" Bosco yelled once more, taking one step closer; but Malcolm wrapped his arm around my neck even tighter. I could feel the air start to cut out and things started to get blurry.

"Come any closer, and I swear I'll shoot her!" He yelled, pressing the barrel of the gun hard against my head.

"Bosco, please..." I sobbed, not sure what else to say. "Shoot him!" I screamed.

"Shut up!" Malcolm yelled at me, and I shuddered. I knew if I were any further away from him, Bosco would have shot him already. The only reason he hadn't, was because I was so close. He didn't want to risk me getting shot. "Shut the fuck up!" Malcolm screamed in my face, roughly yanking my neck with his arm as I continued to sob.

"Bosco..." I sobbed, not even sure if he heard me. All I wanted was to be in his arms right now. He was only a matter of twenty feet away from me, but it felt like we were miles apart. I sobbed, and once more, Malcolm tightened his arm around my neck, and things got even blurrier.

"I won't tell you one more time, you little bitch! Shut the fuck -" Malcolm yelled, and was cut off by a loud bang. I wasn't sure what had happened, but I could breath the slightest bit again. And then, he fell to the ground, and my gun fumbled out of his hands. All it took was a single shot, and Malcolm White was dead. I looked up to Bosco, as he still held his gun up. Slowly, he lowered it down and took a breath. I felt my knees buckle below me, and I fell to the ground. Not a second later, Bosco's arms were around me.

"Shh," He said, trying to calm my sobs. "It's over. He won't ever hurt you again." He whispered in my ear, as I continued to sob.


	15. Smile

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. The only character's I own are the ones that are unfamiliar to the TV show. This story is rated NC-17 for adult language, as well as some content that may not be appropriate for those with weak stomachs, or sensitivity to extreme situations that some Emergency Services have to go through.

_**A/N: **__**Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter! I know its short, but bare with me! The past few weeks have been completely insane. But let me know what you think! :)**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!: Flutigal and PeaceLion**_

**Chapter 15**

**Third Person P.O.V.**

Dani had refused to let Bosco or Faith call for an ambulance, because she didn't want one of her co-workers to find out what had happened. Bosco ended up rushing her too the hospital while Faith stayed at the scene, waiting for the detectives. Once more cops and detectives had arrived, the Lieutenant drove her to the hospital as well so she could meet back up with Bosco.

Dani had a cracked rib, four broken knuckles, and received stitches in the wound she had gotten earlier that day, as well as stitches in both her mouth, lip, and one spot on her arm. The doctors recommended she stayed over-night for observation, but of course, Dani refused. Bosco wasn't to pleased with the fact, but he wasn't about to argue with her right now. After about five hours at the hospital, she was released, and Faith had driven both Dani and Bosco home.

It was nearly five in the morning before they had gotten into bed. Bosco had helped her change into her pajamas, and almost wished he hadn't. He nearly broke down seeing how bruised she was under her clothes. She insisted she was fine, but he wouldn't buy it. After taking even more pain medication, Dani was asleep in less than five minutes. Bosco lay awake watching her sleep, wishing that he could go back in time. He couldn't shut his mind off. All he could think about was what he could have done to prevent it.

He told himself over and over, '_I knew I should have made her stay in the car._'. Or he would think, '_When that guy came up about the stolen chips, I should have never taken my eyes off of her, for even one split second.'_. He couldn't stop blaming himself for what had happened. Every time he closed his eyes, he heard the loud crack of his gun. All he could see, was Malcolm falling to the ground, followed closely by Dani falling to the ground as well. At first, he thought he had shot her as well. He then realized, she fell for a different reason than getting shot. He closed his eyes again, and one more time, he heard the loud bang in his head before he finally drifted off into a not-so-deep sleep.

_Bosco ran, as he heard her screams for him. All he could think was he had to get to her. He heard her scream his name once more, and he kept running. His partner was right behind him. She would back him up, no matter what. He knew he could depend on Faith for anything. He kept running towards the screaming, but it felt like he wasn't getting any closer. Like he was running through a tunnel, and the light was getting further and further away. Nothing could make it go by any faster. He wanted to yell for her, but he couldn't breathe. He couldn't remember the last time he took an actual breath since he realized that she had disappeared. It had only been a month, but it was the best month he had ever experienced. The hardest, too. But the best by far. This was his life now. She was his life now. There was no doubt about his feelings for her. He tried to focus on breathing as he ran, but her screams were getting more and more faint. He felt something in the pit of his stomach; it hurt. He was in more pain than he had ever been in, but he couldn't stop running until he got to her. They were very deep in an alley way, when he finally saw a figure or two move. He stopped in his tracks, and drew his gun. He tried to slow his breathing, so the figures in front of him wouldn't hear him panting for air. That's when he could hear her crying. His heart sank, but the fire in his stomach was burning out of control. His gun was pointing directly in front of him, as he took a step closer with every passing second. He could sense that Faith was only a few paces behind him, and he knew that she had her weapon drawn as well._

_That's when he saw him. Bosco saw the insane, disgusting, psychopathic, horrible excuse for a human being. He was directly in front of him. And then, he noticed her. The rapid fire in his stomach burned even hotter when he realized what was going on. Malcolm was slowly pulling her pants down. He was about to rape her. "Put the gun down!" Bosco screamed. Her head snapped up, and once Bosco made eye contact with her, the fire seemed to calm a little. It didn't burn nearly as bad. And then, Malcolm looked up too; and the fire burned hotter than it ever had before. _

"_Well isn't this just great, the cops are here!" Malcolm was laughing as he spoke. Bosco winced feeling the fire in his stomach burn out of control again. Malcolm had a gun held to the side of her head._

_Bosco tried to force himself to breathe. "Put the gun down, NOW!" He yelled once more; but again, Malcolm laughed._

"_You think you're so tough? Huh? Officer Boscorelli.. I know you're her boyfriend and everything, but really? Put the gun down and stop trying to play super hero." _

_All Bosco could see was her face. The tears streaming out of her eyes, the blood running out of her mouth. She didn't deserve this. He cared more about her than anyone in the universe. The burning pain in his stomach grew even more as the seconds passed. Seeing her like that, made the pain a lot worse._

"_I'm not kidding, jagoff, put the damn gun down!" Bosco yelled. Malcolm wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, and kept the gun pointed at her temple. Bosco took one step closer, and immediately regretted it._

_"Come any closer, and I swear I'll shoot her!" Malcolm screamed, as he tightened the grip around her neck. Bosco knew that she couldn't breathe, because her face was turning blue. He was choking her. _

"_Bosco..." He heard her whisper, and he felt his heart start accelerating. Hearing her say his name, he could breathe a little easier. "Shoot him." She told him. _

_Bosco couldn't think straight. He would have shot him already, but Dani was too close. He kept telling himself he was going to miss. He would hit her if he took the shot. Malcolm screamed at her to shut up, and called her a bitch. The fire in Bosco's stomach burned even more hearing those words directed towards her._

"_Bosco..." He heard her whisper once more. He stopped breathing at that moment, and cocked his gun. He had no other choice._

"_I won't tell you one more time, you little bitch! Shut the fuck -" Malcolm started screaming, but he was cut off when Bosco pulled the trigger. He knew he only pulled the trigger once, but he could hear the crack of the gun echo several times in his head. It seemed like everything was in slow motion, and finally Malcolm dropped to the ground. He was dead. Not half a second later, Dani dropped to the ground as well. His heart stopped beating, as he watched her fall. Her head hit the concrete, and then she wasn't moving. He rushed over to her, and saw that she had a gun shot wound; directly in her head._

"_Oh my God..." Was all he could say. He missed. He glanced over and saw Malcolm staring up at him with an evil smirk. Bosco forced himself to look away, and he turned to look back at the reason he was still breathing, and realized it was over. She was gone. He took one final breath, and whispered the three words he never got to say to her._

"Bosco!" Dani yelled. Her hands were on his shoulders, trying to wake him up.

"I'm sorry..." He cried. He was sweating profusely, and his heart was racing. "I'm so sorry, baby..." He was still dreaming.

"Bosco, wake up!" She yelled once more, still shaking him with all of her strength; which wasn't much. "Boz!" Finally, he opened his eyes, and tried to catch his breath. Dani took a deep breath to try and calm herself down too. Bosco began wiping both the sweat off his forehead, and the tears that were leaking out of his eyes. "Are you alright?" She whispered to him, concern all over her face.

He tried to make sense of everything, but couldn't. "Ye-yeah..." He whispered, shaking his head. "Nightmare, I guess..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him quietly, and he shook his head no. They sat there for a minute before anyone spoke. "Bosco," She began, and took a deep breath. "You said you loved me." She whispered. Bosco rose an eyebrow, still trying to calm his breathing down. He couldn't remember that.

"...I did?" He asked, and shook his head.

She smiled, and lightly nodded. "Yeah..." She replied. Bosco bit his lip, and laid back down. He wiped more sweat off of his head, and took another deep breath. That dream was too real. Dani winced as she scooted herself closer to him. Baring through the pain, she crawled on top of him. She placed her hand on the side of his face, and ran her hand through his hair. "I love you." She whispered, as she looked into his eyes. She kissed him lightly on the lips, and lay her head down on his chest. He took one more deep breath, and ran his hand through her soft, curly hair.

"I love you, too." He whispered very quietly. He knew she heard him when he saw her smile...


	16. Thanksgiving

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. Only the OC's.

_**A/N: Alright... So the first fifteen chapters were only a little piece of what I have planned for this story. I have so many ideas... I might eventually have to break it into a sequel. LOL. We'll see how it goes. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing so far**__**! I hope you all enjoyed it, and continue to read :)**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!: Flutigal and speedlesweetie.**_

**Chapter 16**

_November 25__th__, 1999 -_

"Hey babe, where did you put my keys?" Dani yelled over to Bosco, whom was still getting dressed in the bedroom. She had been searching for her keys for ten minutes with no luck. _Lovely..._ She thought to herself. They were already running late.

"You were the last one to drive, not me..." He yelled back, as he slipped his shirt over his head.

"Gee thanks, your a big help..." She rolled her eyes.

"I know!" He replied. She could just imagine the stupid sarcastic smile he had on his face when he said that. She shook her head and smiled to herself. He was driving her nuts lately, but she still couldn't help laughing at him because she knew that she could drive him nuts right back. "Did you remember to pack everything?" He asked, walking into the living room where she was frantically pulling apart the couch looking for her keys.

"Yes, Bosco. I have everything..." She mumbled. "Except my damn keys!" Bosco picked up their suitcases and put them next to the door, and watched her. "You can help, ya know!" She said in an annoyed tone.

"You've torn up the damn house anyways, lets just take my car. It's cooler." He replied, grinning.

Dani rose an eyebrow, and shook her head. "Uh huh. But _my _truck gets better gas mileage."

"So? We're goin' to your parents house for the first time. I've never met em before... If they see my car then -" He began, but Dani cut him off.

"Then what? They'll see how old school it is?"

"No! They'll see how good condition its in. It's a rare model! They'd be impressed!" He insisted, and Dani couldn't help but giggle.

"Fine. We'll take your car..." She caved.

Bosco smiled, pleased that he had actually won an argument for once. Bosco grabbed their bags and his keys, locking the door behind them. They both had gotten two days off for Thanksgiving. Bosco was excited because it was his first thanksgiving off in two years. The plan was to go to Middleton for thanksgiving over-night, and then get to Bosco's mom's house back in New York sometime Friday afternoon and have a late Thanksgiving dinner with her. They would get back home late Friday night, and go straight to bed and wake up in time for work on Saturday.

It had been six months since "the incident", as they referred to it now. They never spoke about it anymore, but every once in a while when Bosco had to work a few extra hours in his shift, or Dani took a nap on the weekends when he was at his mom's house, she would have a nightmare about it. If Bosco was there, she rarely had a dream; and if she did, it was a good dream. The only time she had a nightmare it was if he wasn't there.

Their relationship now was stronger than ever. They fought on a daily basis, but never went to sleep mad at each other. Dani had met Bosco's mom a few times and Rose absolutely adored Dani. Bosco had to raise his eyebrow thinking about it, because Rose never liked her sons girlfriends...

As far as work went... Things were back to normal. After "the incident", Dani took two weeks off. But still wasn't allowed to do everything she wanted, because her hand was still broken. A few weeks after she was fully healed, everyone of the cops, firemen, and paramedics found out about Dani and Bosco's relationship. Most of them guessed anyways, but they both finally admitted it. It took about a month before people stopped teasing them. All Dani could think about was how all of 55-Camelot was high-school all over again.

"Bosco!" Dani wined after he changed the channel on the radio. "I love that song!"

"It sucks." He replied simply.

"It's a classic!"

"A classic that sucks."

"Bosco..." She sighed.

"The channel was getting fuzzy anyways. There's no reception out here... there's some old CD's in the back seat if you wanna put those on." He mumbled, tired by the drive. It had only been two hours and they still had a few more to go. Dani started going through his old CD's, and there weren't many to choose from.

"Can we just stop at the next Wal-mart we see and get a few new CD's?" She asked him, still wining.

"Dan, this is a long ass drive in itself. We don't need to be pullin' off the road to go get a stupid CD."

"Yes, we do..."

"Dani... C'mon, there's already a few football games on!" Bosco replied. Now he was the one wining...

"Who cares? You're not going to be watching football the whole time. I would really like you to actually _get to know_ my family."

"Baby, I'm going to. I want to. But I'm sure there will be a few people watchin' the game too."

"What does football have to do with stopping to get a CD anyways?" Dani groaned.

Bosco rolled his eyes, and looked off the freeway to see there was actually a Wal-mart off the next exit. "You're such a pain in the ass." He said, as he flipped on his right blinker to get off the freeway. Dani giggled to herself as they pulled into the parking lot. Bosco rolled his eyes as Dani smiled, trying to get him to hold her hand. "No. I'm not holding your hand! Your takin' like 20 minutes out of my driving time." He pouted.

"You're such a cry baby."

"I am not!" Dani rose an eyebrow and giggled, as she continued to walk. They stayed silent for a few minutes as they walked through the store. Bosco finally sighed and caved in. He reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm not a cry baby, ya know..." He said again. Dani giggled once more, and they continued to walk to the CD section.

"How about this?" She asked, holding up a CD.

"Bon Jovi?" He raised an eyebrow. "I have that one!"

"I didn't see it."

"That's because it's somewhere in my apartment..."

"I swear, Boz. When are ya gonna finish getting all your crap moved out of there and up into mine? You only go to your apartment twice a month. You probably have moldy food in the fridge."

"I think I do. In the pantry, too." He replied, scanning the CD's. "Aha!" He pulled one up, and handed it to her. "Nickelback's new one. It outta be good!" He grinned, and walked towards the counter to pay.

"Is that all we're getting?" She rose an eyebrow.

"Have you heard Nickelback? All of their stuff you can put on repeat for days. Their gonna be named the best rock group of the decade. Mark my words."

"Uh huh." She sighed, as Bosco handed the cashier money. She gave him his change, and they left.

Two hours later they arrived at Dani's mom's house in Middleton, Massachusetts. The street was jammed packed full of cars; all family. Bosco found a spot across the street, and put the car in park. It was such a beautiful day, all of her family was outside and saw them pull up. Bosco turned the engine off in the car, and took a deep breath. "What if they don't like me?" He whispered to her, watching her family members all stand up from the chairs they were sitting in.

"Boz, they'll love you." She smiled reassuringly, and opened her door. She froze when she noticed that he wasn't moving. "Babe," she sighed. "You have nothing to worry about. Yeah, some of them can be a little judgmental sometimes. But once they get to know you, they'll love you as much as I do." He smiled, and nodded his head. Dani looked out the window and saw her mom running over to the car. "C'mon." She whispered, and got out of the car. Bosco followed behind her slowly.

"Danielle!"

"Hey, mom!" She smiled, as her mom nearly tackled her with a hug.

"I missed you so much, sweetheart!" She beamed with excitement. "Have you been alright?" She whispered. "After everything that -"

"Yes, mom. Everything is fine. I'm fine." She insisted, desperate to change the subject. She looked over to Bosco who was just now stepping out of the car. He cautiously walked over to Dani's mom, and smiled. "Mom, this is Maurice Boscorelli. Bosco, this is my mom, Joan." She smiled.

Joan looked to Bosco and smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Maurice."

Bosco reached out and shook her hand. "You as well, ma'am."

"Oh, don't call me ma'am. It makes me feel old. Joan is fine." She smiled.

"Joan." He smiled, correcting himself.

"Dani, come with me! Everyone is dying to see you!" Joan said, towing Dani by the hand over into the yard. Dani managed to grab Bosco's hand as they went by him. After all the short introductions, the turkey was pretty much ready. Everyone made their way into the kitchen to get their plates together and then met back at a few tables that were set up outside.

"So Danielle, how have you been darling?" Her Aunt Marianne asked. Aunt Marianne had lived just a few blocks away. She was very sweet, down to earth kind of lady. But she also was very old fashioned, and very conservative. Her, as well as her husband (Uncle Bobby), had also believed that everyone should believe the same as them. As a result, it was very hard discussing very many things with her.

"I've been good, Aunt Mary." Dani replied, throwing in a quick smile before taking a bite of her stuffing. She glanced over to Bosco, whom was quietly eating next to her.

"That's great. How do you like New York over Middleton?" Aunt Marianne asked her.

"I have to admit – New York is much better for my taste. I like the busy feeling. I hate not having anything to do at work, ya know? But, I'll always be a small town girl." She smiled.

Aunt Marianne smiled, and looked towards Uncle Bobby, then back at Danielle. "Well, have you looked into going back to school to become an actual Doctor?"

Dani grimaced, and felt Bosco's eyes on her. She looked over to him and he rose an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, no. Not exactly..." She mumbled, as she stuffed another bite of turkey into her mouth.

"Well, honey, you really should soon. Jobs in the emergency services don't make very good careers, and well, you're not getting any younger." She said, kind of rudely. Dani felt the urge to roll her eyes, but didn't. She knew that little remark upset Bosco, but saw how well he was controlling himself.

She saw him stuff a big piece of turkey into his mouth, probably to keep himself from saying something he was going to regret. Dani took her time trying to word her sentence right, trying not to say anything that would start any kind of problems. "Well, we're doing alright, Aunt Mary. We can make it by each month." She paused to smile. "We're happy." She said, and looked to Bosco, who smiled back at her.

"Oh, is that right? You two are living together?" Aunt Marianne asked. Dani nodded, but didn't reply. She knew where this was leading. "Have you two gotten married yet?" She rudely asked. Dani didn't hesitate to roll her eyes this time. She heard Bosco nearly choke on his food next to her.

"No, ma'am." Dani forced herself to smile as she spoke.

"Maurice, what is it that you do for a living? If you don't mind me asking?" She asked very politely for how the conversation was going.

Bosco glanced at Dani, who was biting her lip. She was starting to re-think bringing him with her. The sad part was, it wasn't his fault. She really wanted him to be there with her, but her family was too judgmental to just take him in. They were very old fashioned when it came to marriage, family, school, careers, and everything in between. "I'm a Police Officer for the NYPD, ma'am." He replied in a polite tone, even though his mind was telling him to be anything but polite. He knew he had to contain himself though, for Dani's sake.

"Oh, I see..." Marianne replied.

"That's great, Maurice." Joan said from a chair a few feet away. "We all really appreciate what you do for your city." She smiled.

Bosco nodded, and smiled in return. "Dani, that's good dear... that you both want to... help the community. But wouldn't you rather make enough money to live in a house instead of an apartment? Make enough that not only would you be able to breathe in between paychecks, but also have enough to put into savings each month for your future children? You should go to school and get your doctorate."

"Mary, cut that out!" Joan told her, but Marianne ignored her.

"No offense, Aunt Marianne, but I..." She paused, and then smiled. "We, are very happy with how things are going right now. I love my job."

"Whatever floats your boat, darling. But, you two really should at least live in separate homes until you get married. You do know its a sin to -" She started, but Joan cut her off.

"That's it. Marianne, lay off." She warned her.

"Don't speak to my wife that way, Joan." Uncle Bobby told Joan. Bosco put his fork down on his plate, and pursed his lips. Dani just shook her head. She hasn't seen them in over a year, and they were going to act like this? Ridiculous.

"Bobby, you're my brother. I love you, but you guys are going too far." Joan said, getting up to put her plate in the stack of dirty ones on a separate table. "I never get to see my daughter. The one time I do, and you guys are here, you have to treat her and her boyfriend like this? She is doing very good for herself considering everything that happened in her past. So can you, and your wife just drop this conversation please?" Joan said quietly to Bobby a few feet away. It wasn't quiet enough, though. Bosco looked to Dani and saw how upset she was.

"I'm sorry, Joan. We just have our own beliefs on how people should act. She isn't doing all she can to -" He started again, but Joan cut him off...again.

"Stop! Just stop! She's doing fine. If you can't just let her live her own life, then can you two just leave? Please? I wanted this to be a great thanksgiving, but you two are making it unbearable for everyone."

With that said, Uncle Bobby and Aunt Marianne got up, and left without a goodbye to anyone. Once they walked away, Joan came over to Dani, who was sitting silently. Joan looked to Bosco to apologize. "I'm sorry, Maurice. My brother and his wife have always been a little judgmental..." She started. Bosco nodded his head.

"It's fine." He replied, and smiled the slightest bit.

"Mom, dinner was great. Do you mind if we excuse ourselves to take our suitcases upstairs and get everything sorted out for a few minutes? You can call us when it's time for pie if you want." Dani asked her.

"Oh no, it's fine honey. You guys go relax." Joan smiled, and then kissed Dani on the forehead. They both got up and went to Bosco's car, got their suitcases and headed upstairs to Dani's old bedroom. Bosco dropped the suitcases on the floor and glanced around her room, and Dani plopped down on her bed. The walls still had old posters from when she was a teenager, as well as bright pink and electric blue curtains. Bosco smiled to himself. The room was definitely Dani's room...

"I'm so sorry Bosco. My aunt is such a..." She paused to think of the right word. "... I don't know!Ugh!"

Bosco giggled. "She's... a piece of work alright."

"Yes! She is!" Dani started. "I'm so sorry! She had no right to go off and start criticizing our jobs, especially yours! Sure, the pay isn't that great. But you're doing a great thing! You help people every single day, and - " She continued to ramble on and on, until Bosco put his hand over her mouth.

"It's fine. Really... I have family that's like that too." He smiled. Dani took a deep breath, and nodded. "Can I ask you something though?"

Dani grimaced, and nodded. "What?"

"Why does your mom keep asking if you're alright? And bringing up 'your past'?" He asked her, even adding the finger quotations in on the last part.

Dani shrugged. "I don't know."

"Yes you do."

"Ugh... " She shook her head. "Fine. She...knows. Everything. Okay?" She sighed, giving in. He was gonna find out sooner or later.

"I figured that much. But I thought it was just me and Ashley that knew?" He questioned her.

"Boz, she's my mom. Ashley actually told her after I told her not too. I wasn't going to press charges at first because I was too afraid, but my mom is the one that made me." She shrugged.

"Oh..." He rose an eyebrow. "So...Is that all? The way she spoke about it seems like there was more..."

"Bosco, I would tell you..." She reminded him. He nodded, and sat down on the bed next to her. "So far... this is one hell of a Thanksgiving." Dani whispered. Bosco smiled, and leaned over to kiss her head.


	17. Wrestle

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. Only the OC's.

_**A/N:Phew. It's been a long few weeks... I've just been so crazy busy I haven't really had time to update...I kinda just threw this chapter together; I was just having withdrawls from writing :) Review and let me know what you think**__**!**_

_**Thanks to my reviewers!: Rubadubdubs and speedlesweetie.**_

**Chapter 17**

Dani and Bosco eventually made their way back downstairs to the Thanksgiving get-together. It was back to the average family atmosphere. All the men in the house were watching the football game in the living room, and all the women were still outside talking. The sun had started to set now, and there was a slight crisp autumn breeze blowing, causing everyone to start pulling on some sort of wind-breaker. Bosco surprisingly didn't go inside with the men to watch the game, but actually went with Dani to sit next to Joan. Dani's grandparents, cousins, and aunt's were all sitting near by, but were engaging in their own conversations.

"Hey sweetie, you two doin' alright?" Joan asked them as they sat down.

"We're fine mom, thanks." Dani smiled.

Dani's cousin, Lisa, got Bosco into a conversation about his line of work. Joan took the opportunity to talk to her daughter. "How much does he know?" Joan asked, motioning to Bosco.

"Everything."

"Everything? Or everything, everything?" Joan questioned.

"Mom, stop butting in. If I wanted him to know the last part I would tell him."

"Why don't you want him to know?"

"Because, it's embarrassing. Not to mention he already over protects me... last thing I need is for him to baby-proof my life even more." Dani whispered into Joan's ear.

"He deserves to know, honey."

"I know, mom. He does. But I just... can't tell him."

Just then Bosco came back over to them. "What are you two whispering about?" He grinned.

Dani smiled back to him, and shook her head. "Girl talk." She replied. He rose an eyebrow, just as a few of Dani's second-cousins ran over and grabbed her hands. Trevor, Jade, and Liam. Trevor and Jade were both seven, and Liam was four.

"Dani, Dani! Come play with us!" Trevor yelled to her as he pulled at her hands.

"Yeah, Dani! Please?" Jade squealed.

"Please!" Liam chimed in.

Dani smiled, caving in. She got up and ran over into the grass with them. The kids managed to get her down onto the ground, and started wrestling with her. In return, she tickled them. Joan giggled watching them. She looked over to Bosco who was smiling as he watched. "Maurice, can I ask you something?" Joan said quietly.

"Sure. If you stop calling me Maurice..." He teased.

Joan giggled. "Fine... Bosco?"

"Thanks." He smiled. "Whats up?"

"Since that thing with...that _guy_ happened..." She began, "Have you noticed a change in Dani's behavior?"

Bosco took a deep breath, knowing what she was talking about. Another part of him was confused. "What do you mean. How she's acting?"

"Yeah... Have you noticed her acting differently? Is she depressed?"

Huh. That was unexpected. "No... She's actually been handling this whole situation better than me." He kind of giggled as he spoke. "Why?"

Joan looked back over to Dani, watching her wrestle with her cousins. "She's going to kill me for telling you this..." Joan whispered. Bosco's expression immediately became serious. What was she talking about? "I'm sure you've heard about her past. You know about her being raped and all that. But I think you deserve the right to know what happened _after_ she was raped." She whispered. "Unless you already know?" She asked him. Bosco shook his head no.

"She never told me what happened after..." He whispered.

"Well... maybe I shouldn't say anything." Joan whispered, turning away.

"No... Joan, what happened?" He persisted.

Joan took a deep breath. "She's going to kill me..." She whispered to herself once more. "Okay... well... a few weeks after it had happened, I noticed she wasn't getting back to herself, you know? I mean, after it happened, you would expect her to be upset for a while, right? Well, it had been three weeks, and she was still extremely depressed. She wouldn't leave the house except for school, she wouldn't eat, she would hardly even talk to us." Joan whispered to Bosco. As she spoke, both of them both still had their eyes on Dani. She was all smiles as she tickled her little cousins in the grass. "A few weeks after that, she started dressing in all dark colors, and I started getting calls from the school. She was ditching a few of her classes everyday. Eventually, it became all of them. I kept thinking it was some sort of mistake, because she always got up and left the same time every morning. When I questioned her about it, she freaked out on me. She ran away for a few days. She eventually came home, but refused to talk to anybody. All she ever did was write in this little journal she had..." Joan flinched, and continued the story. Bosco's eyes were focused on Dani, but he concentrated on what Joan was telling him. "She kept that journal with her everywhere she went... Well, she started ditching Ashley. Of course, that worried me even more considering how close they were." Joan paused, and took a deep breath.

"So... she got really depressed? Didn't she?" Bosco asked, his face was completely emotionless.

"Yes. But there's more..." Joan started again, and Bosco winced. He wanted to know what happened, but hearing that she was in so much pain, caused him pain as well. "A few weeks after that, one day when nobody was home..." Joan winced again. "She went into her bathroom. She had Vicodin that her doctor prescribed her right after she was raped to help with the pain from cracked ribs. She swallowed fifteen of them." She whispered.

Bosco heart stopped for a moment, and then when it started back up, it was racing. He concentrated on slowing down his breathing. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "She tried to kill herself." He whispered. It wasn't a question, either. Joan nodded once, and took a deep breath.

"I came home an hour later. She was passed out on the floor of the bathroom, with a note in her hand. It read: 'I love you mom, but I can't deal with this pain alone anymore.' Which of course broke my heart. I didn't know what she meant by 'alone'. I was always there, trying to help her..." She trailed off, and then began again. "Anyways...I called for paramedics, and they came. By the time they got there she wasn't breathing. From there, they transported her to the hospital, but in the ambulance her heart stopped. They got it started again right before they got to the hospital, thank God. The doctors pumped her stomach, and did all sorts of things to get the rest of the drugs out of her system. I can't even describe it..." She paused. "But... a few days later she was cleared to go home, but I had to make sure she went to get help. Mental help. I did, but she refused to go. She insisted she didn't need it. The only reason she tried to kill herself was because she couldn't deal with the pain. She didn't have anything mentally wrong with her. A few months later, she started to slowly get back to being herself. She's been fine ever since..."

Bosco took a deep breath. He couldn't even imagine what his life would be like right now if she actually succeeded after taking those pills. She was his life now, without her, he'd still be the asshole cop who would be alone for the rest of his life. He winced thinking about it, and shook his head trying to clear it. "Wow." Was all he could say.

They sat there quietly for a moment before Dani walked over to them smiling. "What are you two talking about?" She grinned. Her smile immediately dropped when she saw the serious look on Bosco's face. She looked to her mom, who wouldn't look her in the eye...and that was when it sunk in. "Mom... You didn't..." She whispered. Joan didn't reply, and immediately Dani knew. "Mom, I told you to butt out! This wasn't any of your business!" Dani nearly yelled, and got in her moms face. Bosco stood up, and grabbed her arm.

"Dani, stop. Don't get mad at her. She was just worried about you..." He said calmly.

"I don't care! She shouldn't have said anything!" Dani yelled once more, and stormed off to go up into her old bedroom.

"I'm sorry, Joan..." Bosco said quietly, before turning around to follow Dani upstairs. Joan tried to contain her tears. She knew she shouldn't have told him, but he was right; she really was worried abut her daughter. Not to mention, Bosco deserved to know the truth. "Dani!" Bosco said, just as she slammed the door in his face. "Dani," He said again, opening the door and then shutting it behind him. She was standing there looking out of the window with her arms crossed. She didn't say anything, but he walked up and put his arms around her waist. "She told me because she's trying to protect you."

"How is her telling everybody _my _business protecting me?" She asked in a snotty tone.

"I'm not everybody." He whispered. "And she told me, so I knew what to watch for if -"

"If what? If I tried killing myself again? God, I do one thing, make one mistake and people hold it over my head for the rest of my life!" She yelled.

"It's not like you cheated on a math test, Dani! You tried to kill yourself!" He yelled back. "Your mom just wants me to make sure you don't do it again." He said, bringing his tone down.

Dani was quiet for a minute before she spoke. "I'm not going to do it again."

"And how are we supposed to know that?"

"Trust me?" She whispered. Bosco was quiet, not sure how to respond to that. "Look... back then, when it happened... I was alone. I didn't have anybody, I thought I was going to have to deal with it by myself for the rest of my life. The difference between then, and _now_... is I have somebody to help me deal with it. I'm not alone." She whispered, and Bosco knew that she was telling the truth.


	18. Baby, It's cold outside

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. Only the OC's.

_**A/N: Soooo sorry for not updating in so long! Major case of writers block, and a bunch of personal stuff going on. I hope you all continue to enjoy the story, and as always, thank you so very much for reading! (: **_

**Chapter 18

* * *

**

_December 24__th__, 1999._

The sweet smell of cinnamon candles, the Christmas tree, and coffee is all I noticed the moment I woke up. Christmas eve… one of my all time favorite days of the year. A day that we all should spend with loved ones, next to the fireplace, singing carols, and exchanging gifts, making memories that will last a lifetime. It's what I've done every single year of my life. Until, that is, this year.

"Ugh," I groaned, sitting up. I stood up and stretched, and then walked to the window and opened the curtains. It was snowing. Definitely a day to stay inside… with family, hot cocoa, and a nice, warm fire going.

I felt goose bumps raise on my arms, and I shuddered with a slight chill. I grabbed the blanket off the bed, and wrapped it around my body, before walking out into the living room. I smiled to myself, seeing Bosco sitting on the floor, in front of the fireplace, looking out of the window, watching the snow fall. Completely peaceful. I walked over to him, and he looked up at me as I approached. "A little cold, are we?" He asked as I sat down into his lap, and he put his arm around me and kissed my forehead. I nodded, and sighed. I inhaled the mouth watering smell of his cologne as I buried my head into his chest. "What's wrong?"

"Who has to work on Christmas Eve? The amount of work we do for our community, we deserve Christmas Eve off! Hell, we deserve the whole month of December off!" I started wining. Bosco giggled to himself, and then pulled my head to rest on his shoulder.

"I know, baby. I agree…" He sighed. "But, since we do unfortunately have to work anyways…I made coffee." He said, reaching over to the table and grabbed the two cups that were sitting there, still fresh and hot. He handed one to me, and I held it up to my mouth, inhaling the aroma.

"I wish we could stay like this all day…"

"Me too…"

"But, it's Christmas Eve, right? It will probably be slow…" I hoped.

Bosco huffed. "Right. Next to New Years Eve, it's one of the busiest."

"Ugh, do you have to go and ruin my happy thoughts?"

He chuckled a little, and sipped his coffee. "Sorry, but it's true. All the drunk people who attempt to drive home after spending the day with their families… the Christmas trees that catch on fire because people don't know how to water them… all the houses that catch on fire by electrical sparks from all of the Christmas lights… Fake Santa's that like kids a little too much, if you know what I'm sayin'…" He kept going on, and on, and on. Way to put a damper on my holiday cheer.

"Ugh." I groaned.

"I know… but…we _do_ have tomorrow to look forward to. My mom, your mom, my brother, and a bunch of your family members all are going to be here. For the first time… everyone's meeting each other!" He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Aren't you excited?" I smiled, thinking about it.

"Shoot me now." He said dryly. I shot him a glare…but the look on his face explained it. After our thanksgiving together, I knew where he was coming from.

"Okay… We just have to stay positive. If we let our moods be sucky like this all day today and tomorrow, then it's going to suck. If we're happy, everything will be good!" I smiled. Bosco rose an eyebrow, and chuckled. "What, I can dream, can't I?"

* * *

"_All units in 55-3, please respond to Structure fire. 432 E. Arlington Drive. "_

"Adam 55-3 responding." I replied. It was seven thirty at night, and we had been going non-stop since our shift began. I hadn't seen Bosco once, but something told me it was because he had been going non-stop as well. Alex had been pretty quiet throughout the day, and it took me a little while to realize it was because she was used to spending today with her family, as was I. I wasn't in the best of moods either. But, we had to do what we had to do.

As we pulled up to the scene, the fire was burning out of control. As far as we could tell, it was a single, two story home, and it was only the first story that was on fire. We came to a stop, and I jumped out and grabbed my bags and ran up to Jimmy who was setting up some hoses. "Is everybody out?" I asked him.

"The owner said she had family over for turkey, and they had a candle too close to the Christmas tree and it caught. There were eight people, and we only have five accounted for."

I nodded, and started heading inside. Jimmy grabbed my arm. "What do you think you're doing? We have men in there. Stay out here!"

"I need to help!" I yelled back.

"The only way you're going to help anybody is if you stay out here and wait. That's _my_ job, not _yours_!" Jimmy replied back in a rude tone. I couldn't fight the urge to run inside. I knew there were firefighters in there already, but something inside of me was telling me I had to go in. Jimmy still had a firm grip on my arm, as I debated on if I was going to listen to him or not. That's when I noticed Bosco and Faith's RMP roll up out of the corner of my eye.

"Doherty! Get your hands off of her!" Bosco yelled from the passengers seat of the RMP. He had his door open and was hopping out before they even came to a stop. "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" He yelled once more, as he ran over to where we were standing. He shoved Jimmy once and got into his face.

"Whoa! Cool down, Boscorelli!" Jimmy said, raising his arms up in innocence.

"Jimmy, if I ever see you put your hands on her again, I swear I'll -"

"You'll what? Huh? Hit me? Shoot me? Come on! Do it!" Jimmy yelled back, as Bosco got back in his face. What was he doing?

"Bosco! Calm down!" I yelled, trying to break them apart. Faith was now pulling Bosco back as well. "Relax! He was just trying to keep me from going in there!" I told him.

"You were going to go in there?" He asked me, as the frustration in his eyes lit up once more.

"Yes, I was. But I didn't." I said calmly. He started to calm down a little. "And it was _Jimmy_ who stopped me!" I added in.

"Yeah, would you rather of me let her go in there?" Jimmy yelled. Now _he _was the one getting in Bosco's face.

"I would rather you wouldn't have touched her at all, Doherty!" Bosco yelled. I got in between them two, pushing at their chests with all of my strength. Neither one of them budged.

"Bosco, come on!" I said, shoving at his chest even harder. He finally backed up a little further, and took a deep breath.

"Sorry." He mumbled to me. He shook his head, and turned around. We both started walking away from Jimmy, as I tried not to notice the crowd that was forming around us.

"Yeah, apologize like a little bitch." Jimmy said. Bosco stopped in his tracks, and shook his head. Much to my relief, he ignored it and didn't turn around. He put his hands on his hips, probably trying to keep himself from going after Jimmy again.

"Screw you, Doherty." He said as we started walking again.

"Nah, you'd like it." Jimmy laughed at his comment, but once again, Bosco stopped. He huffed, and let out a sarcastic laugh. Much to me relief again, he didn't reply. "Or, I could screw your girlfriend." He said. My mouth dropped, and I could feel Bosco's hands shaking with anger, as Jimmy continued. "I'm _sure_ she'd like that. Better than screwing you every night, Boscorelli." Jimmy laughed, and turned to walk away. Bosco disappeared from my side, and ran after Jimmy. He hit him from behind, and started throwing punches. Before I knew it, they were rolling on the ground, exchanging punches. Jimmy rolled over on-top of Bosco, and hit him three times. I started crying as I watched it.

"STOP! Come on, just stop already!" I screamed, trying to pull Jimmy off of him, but Jimmy shrugged me off. Not hard, but hard enough to make me lose my balance and fall to the ground. Bosco's rage became more visible, as he rolled Jimmy over and pinned him. He hit him several times again, before Faith pulled him off.

"Bos! That's enough!" She yelled, trying to restrain him. I got up and helped her.

"Yeah that's right," Jimmy started, holding his jaw as he got to his feet. "Have two girls hold you back, like the little bitch you are."

I tightened my grip on Bosco's arm, as did Faith on his shoulders, but it wasn't nearly enough to hold him. He ripped away from us and went back swinging at Jimmy. He hit Jimmy so hard across the face that it knocked him to the ground. Jimmy got a few more punches in before Bosco started going after his abdomen. Finally, Faith, Ty, and Sully were able to pull them apart. It took Ty, Faith, and myself to hold back Bosco. While it was just Sully, and Joe Lambardo holding back Jimmy.

"That's enough!" The fire captain yelled. "Doherty, grab your gear and get your ass inside. There's still people in there!" He ordered. "Sullivan, get Boscorelli away from this scene. I'll be contacting your captain about this little mishap." He said, and walked away.

"Keep your man on a leash, Nash." Jimmy grunted, holding his nose (which was bleeding. It looked like Bosco had broken it) as he and another firefighter picked up the hose and started in towards the fire. Bosco glared at Jimmy as he walked by, and started after him but Faith and I held him back. Everybody knew that Bosco and Jimmy weren't too fond of each other… but this was ridiculous. We were on call, for crying out loud!

"What are you thinking? You need to calm down, Bos!" I yelled at him.

"Me? Didn't you hear what he was saying about you!" He yelled.

"Yes, I did. But that doesn't mean you have to go and attack him! Even if he is an asshole!"

"He shouldn't have put his hands on you, or have said those things about you! He's lucky it wasn't any worse than what he got." He yelled again. I didn't say anything in return, because I knew what I was thinking was just going to start an even bigger fight. Bosco winced, and put a hand over his jaw, and then touched his eye were he had a gash.

I sighed, and got a little closer to take a look. "Bos, you need stitches." I whispered, as I touched it. His lip was split open, as well as a gash right above his eyebrow. Not to mention he was probably going to have a black eye in the next few hours. "You need to go to the hospital."

He gently nodded, as I opened a package of gauze and handed it to him. He placed it over his eye, which was bleeding the worst.

My head snapped up as soon as I heard Joe. "I need a medic!" He and Jimmy ran out, carrying a man with them. Alex and I ran to the bus and got the gurney, as they ran towards us. "He has a pulse, but he was unconscious when we found him." Joe told me as they lay him on the gurney. As we started to work on him, I noticed Faith and Ty having to stand in between Jimmy and Bosco. Ugh, why can't they just act like adults? I shook it off and tried to focus on the patient, but not a minute later, they brought another victim out. Bobby and Kim started working on that one, which I believe was a teenager.

"He's in arrest!" Alex yelled to me, as she started compressions. "We gotta go, _now_!" She yelled. I grabbed the keys out of my pocket, and threw them at Bosco.

"Bosco, drive! Let's go!" I said, as Alex and I lifted the man into the bus. About four minutes later we arrived at the hospital, and brought the man to the awaiting doctors. They began working on him, and within seconds they had his pulse back. By the looks of it, he was critical, but stable. I took a deep breath, and walked to the nurses station to fill out the run sheets. "Thanks for driving." I managed to say to Bosco, whom I wasn't to thrilled with at the moment. He was standing by himself, I assumed he had been waiting for me to talk to him.

"Mhm…" He nodded.

"What's up with you and Jimmy today, huh?" I randomly asked. Bosco shrugged, as Faith walked up handing both of us a cup of coffee. "Thanks, Faith." I told her, and she nodded. "Bosco, talk to me."

"He's a dick and deserved the beating he got." He simply replied.

"It wasn't even that bad. He was just trying to keep me from going into the fire. As for the comments he made, you should have ignored them. Yes he shouldn't' have touched me, but he really wasn't doing anything wrong."

"I know that, but from my perspective when we drove up, it looked bad. Sorry for protecting you." He replied in a snotty tone, before turning around and walking away. Well, Merry Christmas to me. I gotta deal with Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge over here. Lovely.

"Bah Humbug, right?" Faith mumbled to me. She playfully nudged my arm and chuckled, before following Bosco into a room so he could get his eyebrow stitched up.

I rolled my eyes. I knew he was just as upset as I was about working tonight, but it was really starting to piss me off that he was taking it out on other people. I sighed, as I walked off to go find Alex. As soon as I found her, we got another call. It continued on like that the rest of the night…

We saw Bosco and Faith three times within two hours… and all three times Bosco had that same pissed-off scowl on his face. Like he was pouting or something.

It was now eleven thirty… and we had only half an hour left in the shift. (We had to pull an extra hour because of the holiday). We got one more call, and it was to a department store for a child who was in respiratory distress. (Why in the world do department stores have to be open so late on Christmas eve anyways?). We pulled up to the store, got out of the bus and got our bags. That's when I saw an RMP pull up right besides us.

"What are you doing here?" Bosco asked as he got out of the car.

"I could ask you the same question… we didn't need police back up. It's just for a kid having an asthma attack." I mumbled as all four of us started walking in.

"Well, we got a call about a kid trying to steal jewelry. I guess the store manager chased him for a few minutes around the store, but caught him."

"This ought to be interesting…" Alex said unenthusiastically, as we approached a crowd of people.

"Alright, alright. Nothin' to see here… everybody go home and eat turkey!" Bosco yelled, trying to break through all the people. Once we got through the crowd, the first thing I noticed was the kid, sitting on the floor crying. He had to only be seven years old… There was a man (I assumed the store manager) who was standing over him. The kid was sobbing so hard that his face was turning blue, as he panted for air.

I got down to his level, and opened my bag. "Hey sweetie, what's your name?" I asked him.

"Sa - Sam." He studdered, still sobbing.

"Sam, how old are you?" I asked, putting an oxygen mask over his face.

"Seven." He whispered. Damn, I was right.

"Do you have asthma?"

"Y-Yes."

"Are you going to arrest him?" The manager yelled.

"He's seven!" I yelled back to him, as Bosco pushed him a few feet back.

"It doesn't matter! He stole from me! I want him arrested!"

"Sir, do you really want to press charges against a seven year old?" Bosco asked calmly.

"Yes!" The man yelled. "He stole my property, I want him arrested!" As the man yelled, Sam started hyperventilating again.

"Sir, please stop saying that. You're making it worse." I informed him, concentrating on the boy.

"Get him out of my store!" The manager yelled again.

"We will sir, but for right now I need you to back up, please!" I yelled in return. Bosco got in the guys face, forcing him to take few more steps back.

"Sweetie, where's your inhaler?" I asked, returning my attention back to the boy. He was starting to calm down a little bit now.

"I-I don't know. My mommy usually has it…but she's not here."

"Where is she?"

"In the hospital." He started sobbing again. "I just wanted to give her something special… daddy said this is going to be our last Christmas with her…" He sobbed, burying his head in his jacket. "I didn't want to steal…" He continued in-between sobs. "But we have no money…"

"What?" I asked in disbelief.

But he continued to try. He sobbed, "She has cancer…" He told everyone. My jaw dropped as I tried to keep myself from crying with him. "Daddy told me she's going to be with Jesus soon…so I wanted to help her look extra pretty for when she meets him…"

It took everything in my power to not cry. I looked up at Bosco, and he looked like he was doing the same thing. The manager was in disbelief. His jaw was to the floor, as well as everyone else who was standing within hearing range. "Please don't take me to jail!" He cried, "If you have to arrest me, please just let me go see my mommy first."

I took a deep breath, trying to keep myself from crying. "It's okay, sweetie. We'll take you to your mom." I told him, giving him a hug.

"_Now _do you want to press charges, jagoff?" I heard Bosco whisper to the manager behind me.

"I'm so sorry son… You may go. I don't want to press charges. Keep the necklace. Merry Christmas to all of you…" He said in a sad tone, as he walked away from the scene.

A big smile lit up on the boys face, "I'm not being arrested?" He sniffled.

"No, honey. You're not going to be arrested." Faith said, trying to force herself to smile. I made myself smile as well. It was almost impossible not to by seeing Sam smile.

"Can I go see my mommy now, please?" He asked, but I could still hear him wheezing. He was still having troubles breathing.

"Well, we got to give you medicine first, but you can ride in the ambulance. And we'll call your dad to come get you. And then he will take you to your mom." I smiled, as did he.

We rolled him out on the gurney, and drove him to the hospital where we met with his father. After receiving a few breathing treatments, he was released. As promised, his father brought him to his mom afterward. Not sure what happened after that… but the one thing I did know? This little boy reminded all of us what Christmas is really about.

By the time we all left the hospital, it was well nearly one in the morning. As Alex and I drove back to the station, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by what we had just experienced. I started to cry, and once I did, Alex did as well. I had never seen her cry until this night…

We pulled up to the station, and she put the bus in park, and wiped her eyes. "You okay?" I asked her, as I sniffled a little. I wiped the rest of my tears away as well.

"Yeah, I'm good. I just didn't realize how big of assholes we were all being. It's Christmas, and we were all acting so stuck up… I guess that kid taught us all a lesson today, huh?" She smiled briefly, as I saw another tear slide down her cheek. She wiped it away fast, and got out of the bus.

About fifteen minutes later, I said goodnight to everyone and walked outside, where Bosco was already waiting for me, leaning against his car. He started smiling the slightest bit as I approached him. "I'm sorry…" He said, pulling me closer to him.

"For what?" I asked, as I nuzzled my head into his jacket. Nice and warm…

"For being an asshole… to you, and to Jimmy. He pisses me off more than most people do…but I had no right to start anything today." He said. "And you're right… I do overreact." He admitted, and I smiled.

"You do….but it's okay. I still love you." I smiled. He smiled back, and kissed my forehead.

"Well thanks. I love you too." He chuckled.

When we got home, I went to take a shower. By the time I got out, he had started the fireplace, had all the Christmas lights turned on, and had made hot cocoa. He had even set blankets and pillows up in front of the fireplace. It was so warm and cozy, just snuggling there in front of the fireplace. That's when I noticed it had started snowing again. I smiled, wrapping my legs around his under the blankets. "Merry Christmas, Bos."

"Merry Christmas, baby." He said, and then kissed me. I could hear the quiet sound of sleigh bells ringing from outside, as we listened to Christmas music. Neither one of us spoke a word. _Baby, it's cold outside_ by Vanessa Williams came on. It was the perfect song to listen to right now. As we listened to the music, next to the beautiful Christmas tree, and the warm fire…we watched the snow fall outside, and both slowly drifted off to sleep…


	19. It's Christmas

**Far Away: **

A Third Watch Fan-Fic.

I do NOT own, or claim to own Third Watch, or any of its characters. Only the OC's.

_**A/N: **_

**Chapter 19**

_December 25th__, 1999._

"_Danielle, wake up! Sweetie, time to get up! Santa's come!" Mom told me. I felt a rush of excitement as I jumped out of bed, and ran downstairs. I saw the few toys Santa had left me by the tree, with a full stocking. _

"_Thank you, Santa!" I screeched, jumping up and down with my new doll in my arms. I gasped, when I realized the cookies on the coffee table were gone. "Mommy! Look, Santa ate all of his cookies, and drank all of his eggnog!" I smiled. "He must have thought they were so yummy!"_

"_I'm sure he did…" My mom smiled to me._

"_Mommy, where's daddy?" I asked her. I realized he wasn't downstairs opening presents with us._

"_He… had to go to work." She replied. She looked sad… but I didn't know why._

_I sighed. "Aww… Why does he have to work on Christmas?" I stuck my bottom lip out a little._

"_Hey, how about you open this present?" She smiled, changing the subject. She started handing me gifts, as we slowly opened them together. The one thing I really wanted, though? Was my daddy to be here with us._

"_Baby…" A man whispered._

"Baby…" Bosco whispered. I barely heard him… I thought I was dreaming it for a second. I slowly opened my eyes, and saw the dim light shining through the window. It was morning, and still snowing outside. "Merry Christmas." He smiled at me, as he leaned in to kiss me.

"Merry Christmas." My voice cracked, and he giggled.

"You alright?" He asked me. I tried to wake myself up a little more by sitting up, as I rubbed my eyes.

"Yeah… I just, had a weird dream…" I said, trying to remember.

"What about?"

I blinked a few times, picturing it in my head. "It was Christmas morning… I think I was three and a half years old. My mom woke me up to open presents." I said, staring blankly out the window. "When I asked her where my dad was, she told me he was at work…" I continued. "I haven't seen him since…" I mumbled.

"What?" Bosco asked me in disbelief.

"That was the worst Christmas of my life." I told him, feeling no emotion.

"I didn't know that he left you and your mom on Christmas…I'm so sorry, baby…" He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulder.

"Don't be. I'm not. He was an abusive alcoholic anyways. I just wish he hadn't have left on Christmas." I told him. We were silent for a few moments, before the phone rang. I reached over to grab it off the table, and answered it. "Hello?"

"_Hey sweetheart, I just wanted to let you know I'm on my way! We will be there in a few hours!_"My mom exclaimed.

"Alright, mom! See you then!" I told her, and hung up the phone. I put the phone back on the table, and stretched a bit before standing up and walking into the kitchen. I felt Bosco's eyes on me as I walked. As I started preparing breakfast, I looked over to see him still watching me. "What?" I asked, not being able to help smiling.

"Nothing." He replied, slightly grinning at me.

"Why are you staring at me?" I rose an eyebrow, still trying not to laugh. I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"What? I can't stare at you?" He grinned.

"Not without a reason!" I told him, as I started putting Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls on a baking sheet.

"See…every other man, or person, needs a reason for staring at you. I, however, don't." He smiled, as he stood up to put another log on the fire. I rolled my eyes and giggled. "Is this going to be our tradition?" He randomly asked.

I rose an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"This is our first Christmas together. Everybody, couples, families… they all have traditions. What we did last night, what we're doing now. Is this going to be _our_ tradition?"

I smiled, thinking about it. "Yeah. I hope so."

He returned the smile, as he continued fixing the fire. Christmas music was still playing over the stereo from last night, and I continued fixing breakfast. "What are you making?" He asked, starting to smell the cinnamon rolls in the oven.

"Cinnamon rolls…"

"On Christmas?" He rose an eyebrow, walking in to the kitchen.

"Yeah. It's something my family and I have always done since before I can remember…" I told him. He nodded, but part of me thought he was upset. "What did your family do for Christmas breakfast?" I asked him.

"Well, we always just had cereal or something. Nothin' huge… but we did have Eggnog and cookies with it…" He smiled, thinking about the memory.

"Well, we'll have eggnog and cookies with our cinnamon rolls then." I smiled, opening the refrigerator door and taking out the carton of eggnog and reaching for the plate of cookies, which were on the counter next to the fridge. Bosco smiled, as he walked into the kitchen with me. When the timer on the oven went off, I pulled the cinnamon rolls out, and started to drizzle the icing over them. Once they were done, we brought everything over to the coffee table in the center of the room and started eating our breakfast, as we exchanged gifts. He had gotten me three things, I had gotten him four. Of course, it didn't matter how many gifts we got each other. Especially to me. I didn't care. As long as I was with him, that's all I could ever ask for.

Among the things I had gotten him, one was a brand new gun. He already had three different ones. (His pistol he uses while on duty, his off-duty / backup gun, and another off duty pistol, in which he keeps locked up in our bedroom for emergencies). He _babied_ those guns. He took better care of his guns than anything else. Why does he need more, you ask? He doesn't. But, I just knew that he had been in love with this one (the one I just bought him) forever, but never could afford it for himself. He gasped when he saw it, which made me giggle. He just about tackled me to the floor and kissed me.

"Thank you, baby!" He said excitedly in between kisses. I laughed, watching him crawl off of me and back over to the tree to get the last present, which was to both of us. Ashley had sent it in the mail, with a big letter on the box: _DO NOT OPEN UNTIL X-MAS!_

Bosco and I tore it apart together. Once we had gotten all the wrapping paper off of it, I nearly cried finally comprehending what it was. I had no idea when she had taken this picture, but I was in love with it. I guessed she took it a few months ago when she was here visiting. It was a picture of Bosco and I looking at each other, laughing. She had it printed in black and white, and put into a beautiful 12 x 16 black frame. "I remember that night…" Bosco whispered, taking the picture out of my hands to get a better look at it. He smiled, remembering. "I didn't know she took a picture of us, though…"

"Me either." I managed to croak. I was speechless. It was the first picture of us together. It was such a candid, Kodak moment; and I just couldn't stop staring at it. I could feel Bosco's eyes on me again, but my eyes were glued to the picture in awe. I wanted to call Ashley right now and thank her a million times. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and stood up to take the ugly painting off of the wall above the fireplace, and replaced it with our picture. Much better. I'm not sure what it was about this picture, but it was perfect. I stared at it hanging on the wall, listening to the sound of Bosco's breathing in my ear. He was standing behind me, starting to pull my hair away from my neck, as he started to kiss it. I felt my heart start pumping a little more, feeling his breath against my neck.

"I love you." He whispered into my ear, and then continued kissing my neck. I turned around to face him, and he already had a little tiny box out of his pocket. I literally stopped breathing. "I love you more than anything in this world, Dani. Yes, I want to marry you. But, as long as we're together for the rest of my life, it doesn't matter to me. I know your not ready. Hell, I'm not ready. We could be engaged for the rest of our lives for all I care. As long as we're together, I'll be the happiest man in the world." He stared into my eyes as he spoke, and I couldn't help crying. "Will you…" He paused, "Eventually, be my wife?" He stammered.

For a few moments, I couldn't move. I had to wait until my heart started beating again. I could feel tears running down my face. Bosco giggled and tried to wipe them away as fast as they were falling, but he couldn't keep up. Once I caught my breath, I shook my head and said "Of course." He jumped up and kissed me more passionately than ever before.

It was past seven at night, and my mom was already here. As was Bosco's family. It was the first time they had all met each other…so far so good. My mom and Rose were getting along great. Bosco had made a bet that they would be best friends by the end of the night, and I knew he was probably right. I watched as they all laughed during a conversation in the living room, as I was in the kitchen preparing an apple pie for desert. I couldn't help smiling to myself. Our families all getting along so well made me extremely happy. It's all I could ever want.

Bosco silently appeared in the kitchen, and rapped his arms around my waist. "Why are you so quiet tonight?" He whispered into my ear. His breath on my ear sent shivers down my spine, and suddenly I knew why I was so quiet.

I was grinning ear to ear when I turned around to face him. "I'm not sure. I'm just so happy. Today was perfect. We're engaged. Our families get along. There's nothing more I could ask for."

Bosco smiled, kissing my forehead. "Did you tell your mom yet?"

"No! She would flip…" I paused, thinking about it. Although she was acting a bit strange tonight. Maybe the rock on my left ring finger gave it away. "Did you tell your mom?" I asked him.

"Well, no." He replied, cocking an eyebrow. "She guessed."

"She knows?" I yelled. "That means she's gonna tell my mom!"

"Baby, I'm sure your mom guessed already too. I mean, you've been wearing the ring all day. If she hasn't noticed it by now…"

"I know, I know." I sighed, thinking about it. "You do realize Ashley is going to kill me when she finds out."

He giggled. "Why would she kill you?"

"Because I didn't call her as soon as it happened." I sighed. He giggled again and kissed me. He quickly pulled away when my mom walked in. "Hey mom."

Bosco wiped his mouth and smiled. "Hi sweetheart… listen sweetie I have to tell you something."

I rose an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Your father." She simply replied.

"What about him?" I asked with a bit of attitude. Like I didn't care at all…because I really didn't.

"He called the other day…"

It took me a second to gather this information. He hadn't called since I was five. "How did he find your number?"

"I've had the same job since he left me. He just called my work." She replied, and then continued her story. "Anyways… he wants to see you."

"Sucks for him." I replied blankly, turning my back to finish the pie I was working on. I felt Bosco put his hand on the small of my back. No. No way was I going to speak, let alone _see _my father. He left me when I was three. _Three _years old! He abused my mother and I. He hurt us in every way humanly possible. There's no way I'm speaking to him.

"Sweetheart… You must. You haven't since you were three…He misses you -" She stopped short when I cut her off.

"Don't tell me what I must, or mustn't do. He left us. He left _me_. Yes, I was three. He misses me? Bullshit. He shouldn't have left then." I replied harshly. I could feel my blood starting to boil.

Bosco took a step in between me and my mother, putting a hand on my waist. "Baby, it's okay…" He started, but I cut him off too.

"No, it's not! I'm not going to talk, or speak to him if I don't want to!" I nearly yelled.

"Danielle. Listen to me. I'm sorry I never brought this up. You can hate me all you want. I never forgave your father either… but he's coming here to see you. Tonight." She told me.

"No!" I yelled. Bosco now had both of his hands on my waist, holding me still. "Mom, why didn't you tell me about this earlier!"

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I just knew you would object."

"That's an understatement." I replied. "How about…umm… _hell _no?"

"Dani…" Bosco whispered in my ear, trying to get me to calm down. I ignored him.

"Danielle, please don't use that language. I apologized. I'm sorry. But he's already on his way." She told me. I felt defeated. My mouth was hanging open in shock, as tears ran down my face. "Oh, sweetheart. I'm so sorry. He insisted. I was so shocked when he called me that I didn't know how to reply. I'm sorry."

"He's not coming in here!" I yelled, pulling away from Bosco.

"Dani…." Bosco said again, grabbing at my hand, but I yanked it away.

"No! He's not stepping foot inside my house! I don't want to see him!" I cried, but they were both staring at me. I knew my mom felt horrible. But there was no way I was going to talk to my father. But; Looking at their faces, I knew there was nothing I could do about it now. "Please…" I whispered, backing out of the kitchen. Neither one of them budged. "Damn it." I cried, and ran from the kitchen, through the living room, into my bedroom. I lay face down on the bed, and in less than two seconds Bosco was there next to me.

"Baby…" He whispered, rubbing my back. I couldn't stop crying. This perfect day was being ruined. "Babe… C'mon. Our families are out there. It's Christmas."

"Yeah? Well it was Christmas the day my dad left too. There's no way in hell I'm gonna let him ruin this one for me too."

"Maybe he's going to make it better?"

"How?" I asked, not believing him.

"I'm not sure. But I don't think you have another choice but to see him… I think he's here." He told me. Suddenly, this night had gone from amazing, to horrible. My father was here; and I already knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.


End file.
